Or So They Say
by RaeRurounifan
Summary: Haruhi tells her daughters a story. The story evolves, starting after the anime ends. Does Kyouya's father really want Haruhi to marry his son? Has Tamaki truly won the elusive host's heart? Haruhi's daughters listen to find out. ON HIATUS - see profile.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It's my first fanfic in a long time, and I'm very excited about it. The idea is that it will be a story told/read by Haruhi to her daughters starting directly after the end of the anime. I based it on the idea that Kyouya and Tamaki would have a problem if their fathers began fighting over whom Haruhi would wed. It's probably been done before, but I'd like to put my spin on it. Hope you enjoy!

**Or So They Say**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfiction-

Haruhi Fujioka wandered slowly into the rather cheery bedroom carrying a worn-out book. Stepping gingerly through the toys and books flung helter-skelter throughout the room, she made a mental note to have Asai clean her bedroom more frequently. Thinking nothing of the rather garish collection of dolls and other toys, Haruhi looked towards the bed where two pairs of bright eyes watched her progress.

Sighing softly, she sat carefully on the double bed, scooting backwards until her back reached the wall. Seated thus, she opened her arms, and the two launched themselves at her, one on either side.

"Are you going to read the story, Mommy?" Asai asked with a grin on her face.

"Don't leave anything out," Kabuki said. Her large eyes seemed to accentuate the adorable pout on her lips even as her mother marveled over the keen resemblance to herself.

Sitting between the two girls, Haruhi closed her eyes as they continued their normal routine of requests and admonishments. She began, as usual, to think about the past, wondering how she had come to this point.

When the room grew silent, Haruhi opened her eyes, smiling down into the two expectant faces. Reaching forward for the book she'd sat in front of her, she pulled it onto her lap, extending her feet out in front of her. The book, a rather nondescript, brown journal, really, was worn from fingers smoothing over it's leather surface time and time again.

Opening to the first page, Haruhi glanced at the loving writing that seemed to caress each page. Feeling a bit more nostalgic, she held the book up to her nose, indulging in the scents it contained. Then, shaking her head slightly, she looked down to her daughters, waiting quietly at her side.

"All right," she began, "we'll read the first chapter tonight, but then you have to go to sleep. You don't want your father to get angry at you for waking up grumpy, do you?"

"No, Mama," the girls chorused, in perfect harmony with one another.

Smiling, Haruhi turned another page and began to read:

"After the dance, the two lived happily ever after, or so they say. It wasn't a typical fairy tale ending, though, not for these two. They could never do anything normally."

A grin on Asai's face and matching giggle from Kabuki reminded Haruhi of a certain pair of friends she had once known. Smiling herself, she continued to read.

"As the poor commoner danced with the fairy prince," Here she grimaced slightly before continuing, "she wondered what would happen after the dance. However, as commoners are wont to do, she pushed it to the back of her mind and decided to simply enjoy the dance.

"The prince, however, was already considering his options, and the commoner in his arms was making it painfully difficult to focus on what was going to happen now. Feeling rather annoyed but still happy with the heroic commoner, the prince decided it was time for her to move to another. Twirling her away from him, the prince bowed respectfully even as the next prince moved in to claim the commoner.

"The commoner, now quite dizzy from all the twists and turns she had made, looked up dazed into the eyes of her new prince. His violet eyes sparked with excitement as he took hold of her delicate hand. Wrapping his arm around her, he carefully placed his hand just below her shoulder blades as he led her into the waltz. Finally getting the hang of this dancing thing, the commoner, now a commoner princess, allowed the prince to lead her around the romantically lit dance floor, smiling happily as they moved.

"At the same time, two kings sat high in a tower watching the proceedings. Grinning at the children below, they watched the two princes dancing with the commoner princess, and they talked about life in the kingdoms they owned.

"Surprisingly, one of the kings mentioned that he had recently lost his throne when a mysterious man managed to take over, but even more surprisingly, he said, was the fact the man asked him to continue his reign. When he realized who the man was, the king said, he was shocked with how easily the man had gained power, and, he added, how it felt to have your kingdom stolen by your own son.

"The second king, in awe of the first's princely son, took a moment before launching into his own tale. This, a rather romantic one, was naturally about his own son, the prince now dancing with the commoner. His son, he told the other king, had the greatest chance in his life: to go back and visit the mother he'd been forced to abandon. However, it was a chance that would cost him his freedom; this chance would make him join in marriage with a woman he did not love.

"The son, not knowing he would see his mother, accepted the proposal simply because his grandmother--a woman the second king said hated her grandson--told him to do it. The son was a rather dull sort, really, his father said, and did not realize his grandmother simply refused to accept him. So, wanting to please his grandmother, he accepted her terms, tried to abandon his friends, and walked to the waiting carriage where his fiance awaited him.

"'But you said he tried to abandon his friends,' the first king said.

"'He tried,' the second replied, 'and utterly failed. The commoner followed him out, racing quickly to catch him. And when she finally did, she made a mistake and fell off the bridge the two carriages were on.'

"The commoner hurtled down to the depths of the river, but before she could land, the prince's arms curled round her small frame, shielding her from the brunt of the fall. The two survived the fall, sinking into the depths of the water before the prince pulled the commoner out of the water and onto dry ground again. The fiance, watching the touching scene, finally realized she had lost the game, and turning her carriage towards home, she mused on the prince's loss.

"'Even so,' the first king said, 'this commoner truly is a refreshing girl. She so easily rescued your son, and even my own has changed lately.'

"'How right you are,' the second agreed. 'I am amazed at her ability to win the hearts of those around her, and I cannot wait to introduce her to the rest of the family.'

"'Whatever do you mean,' the first politely asked. 'She will certainly be meeting the rest of my family, as the future fiance of my son.'

"'No, no, dear friend,' the second king interjected. 'I simply cannot allow this commoner to wed anyone but my own son. And if you insist, I will say that our friendship can no longer last, for I will fight to claim this commoner for my son.'

"The two bickered in a way only two old kings could do, and thus, the competition began. It was truly a tragic sight, the two kings holed up in their tower, hovering over the commoner princess who sat between her two princes, smiling happily now that the worst was over.

"As the kings went their separate ways to plot how they would convince the young princess to join their families, the commoner princess finally made her way back to her home with her father. Stumbling into bed at such a late hour was unusual for her, but she was pleased nonetheless. Her eyes drifted shut wearily but not before a thought crossed her mind, 'I'm so glad that's over. Now what can I make for dinner tomorrow?'"

Haruhi quietly closed the book even as her brow knit in consternation. What kind of person had written such a beginning to their story? One word escaped her mouth: "Tamaki."

Glancing down, she smiled softly at the two girls sleeping soundly at her side. Knowing they slept heavily, she began to make her way off the bed, book in hand. Setting it aside once she stood, she turned to move the girls under the covers. Pulling down the lacy coverlet on the bed, she tucked her arms under Asai, picked her up, and gently laid her onto the bed. After doing the same with Kabuki, she pulled the covers over the sleeping girls, a soft smile on her face as Kabuki and Asai turned toward one another in their sleep.

Picking her way out of the room, Haruhi turned off the light before closing the door behind her, book in hand once again. She sighed and turned to walk down the hall, moving toward the one door with light shining out from the cracks.

Knowing what would happen even before it did, she chuckled as she reached to take hold of the doorknob. Her heart beating slightly erratically, she turned the knob and slowly, ever so slowly, pulled the door open.

"Welcome," a delightful voice called out to her. Haruhi walked in, carefully closing the door behind her. Her eyes took in the scene before her, a carefully replicated miniature of the infamous music room. She smiled fondly at the old grand piano and moved toward the figure waiting within.

Arms reached out to circle her waist once she was close enough. Haruhi closed the distance and leaned in for a kiss, grinning up into the eyes she loved so much.

"I still love it when you do that," she said wistfully, one hand on a strong chest. "You still take my breath away."

"Did they like the story?"

Haruhi glared playfully up at him before saying, "They fell asleep. Some story! Making our daughters fall asleep like that." She took a step back, fingering the book. "Although I didn't really like the beginning, it's the ending that's the best, isn't it?"

She moved to put the book back on the bookshelves. Before she'd taken two steps, strong arms grabbed her once again, turning her deftly into his embrace. A slight gasp emitted from her lips was all the sound she made before her head spun in another of his breathtaking kisses.

Stepping back but still holding her arms to steady his dazed wife, he smirked slightly and said, "Yes, the ending is the best."

A/N: And there it is...my first chapter. I'm so proud. Haha. Anyway, if you hadn't already noticed, I'm trying to keep Haruhi's husband a surprise. That's hopefully going to be revealed in time, but, for now, I'd rather keep it my little secret. So, I'd really appreciate it if you would let me know what you liked and disliked about it. I worked pretty hard on it, but if there are mistakes or problems, please don't hesitate to let me know! Thanks for reading! I appreciate it!

Rae


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ironically, I wrote this after being inspired by getting my first three reviews. Thanks so much, everyone! As it stands, I'm working out the kinks in the story while trying to conceal the identity of Haruhi's husband. Let me just say, it's not an easy task! I decided it would be easier to introduce two of the host club members we all know and love in this chapter, which, technically speaking brings the total to four hosts introduced, but I suppose that's not true if you don't know who the husband is. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Please enjoy the chapter!

**Or So They Say: Chapter Two**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

Another day dawned, and Haruhi groaned as she smacked the alarm buzzing in her ears. She really hated that annoying sound, but she couldn't get rid of it because he got it for her. And he thought it was just "so cute" for Haruhi, so she ended up keeping the stupid thing.

Haruhi rolled out of bed slowly, avoiding upsetting the pain in her back any further. She wondered why she smelled coffee but only for a second. Looking down at her shiny slippers, she remembered just where she was.

Thinking back, she was still in awe of how she'd come to this point in her life. Haruhi never expected much from anyone, and she had always been determined not to let anything get her down. After all, she had a goal to achieve, and Haruhi was not going to let that goal fade away.

Her memories were so vast that she had a hard time picking through them sometimes. She remembered joining the host club and wondering why all the girls in Ouran went crazy over those six guys. She remembered even more clearly wondering why all of them labeled her a natural despite her gender.

Haruhi grabbed her robe, another "gift," and tied it around her waist before slipping into the soft slippers. She looked round the room, noting with satisfaction that nothing was out of place, and then she walked out of the room.

"Oof," came the muffled grunt as Haruhi was attacked by two excited little girls, each speaking over the other in their joy at seeing their mother.

"Mommy, did you finish the story while I was sleeping," one cried anxiously.

"I want to hear the rest of the story, Mommy," her sister requested piteously.

"Don't you want to tell us the rest of the story?"

"I think the princess is going to marry the prince!"

"But weren't there two princes?"

"She'll marry both the princes and live happily ever after!"

Hearing that comment, Haruhi chuckled softly to herself. She knew her daughters had no idea what happened following that fateful dance with the members of the host club. It had literally changed her life and, surprisingly, her perspective as well. She thought for a moment before reaching down and grabbing two little girl hands.

"Come on, you two," she said. "Let's go get some breakfast before Daddy eats it all himself."

Outraged cries met this statement as Asai and Kabuki took off for the dining room, trying unsuccessfully to get their mother to run with them. Haruhi laughed at her hyper daughters and sped up ever so slightly to reach the dining room faster.

Upon reaching the dining room, both Haruhi and her daughters were met with a rather amusing surprise. Her husband was dining, not alone as she'd expected, but with two old friends.

"Uncle Hunny! Uncle Mori!"

Kabuki was the first to let go, racing toward her "uncles" where they sat at the table. Asai, never one to let her sister best her, raced after Kabuki, latching onto Takashi Morinozuka. Kabuki had already scrambled into Mitsukuni Haninozuka's lap.

"Well, hello, Mori-senpai, Hunny-senpai," Haruhi greeted cheerfully. "What brings you two out here?" She rounded the table and leaned over to kiss her smiling husband good morning. "And, why didn't you tell me we'd have guests? I'm not even dressed!"

"Haru-chan, we came out to see our pretty nieces," Hunny said while reaching for a piece of cake the maids had suddenly brought to the table. "Right, Takashi?"

Mori nodded while smiling at the little girl who had climbed into his lap. She reminded him of a younger version of Hunny, and her excitement around him was always something he enjoyed even if he didn't show it.

"Uncle Mori, would you do that thing you always do?" Asai smiled sweetly up at her uncle as she said this. "I want you to do it again. You're so cool, Uncle Mori."

Always a sucker for a sweet face, Mori debated doing as Asai asked. He hadn't shown this particular trick to Haruhi yet, and he knew Asai's father might not be pleased by it either. However, he had to cave when the little girl threw him a pleading look.

Haruhi looked up from her breakfast, "Asai, what do you want Mori to do? He doesn't have to do anything; he's our guest. Can I do it for you?"

Asai stubbornly shook her head and clung to Mori's arm. Mori stood up slowly and looked down at the girl now standing in front of him.

"Over there," he said, pointing to the empty area in front of the dining room table. The two walked over together.

Haruhi was now watching with barely concealed curiosity as the giant of the host club took her daughter to the front of the room. She sat back in her chair, confident that whatever Mori was going to do would be interesting.

Standing in front of Mori, Asai looked up into his eyes; when she got a somewhat vague and silent signal, the girl turned around to face the group at the table. Hunny and Kabuki were grinning like crazy while Haruhi and the girls' father watched, puzzled.

Suddenly Mori, using his speed and martial arts grace, whisked Asai into the air, his arms underneath her arms. Spinning her around in a fast circle, he then tossed her high into the air, higher than he normally would since the dining room had such a tall ceiling. Asai laughed hysterically as she flew in the air, and her parents both gasped when Mori stepped out from under the now falling girl.

"Asai..." Haruhi breathed in a shocked voice as her daughter fell towards the marble floor.

Before she could say another word, Haruhi stared in astonishment as Mori took a running leap, snatching her daughter out of the air and landing on one of the room's few rugs. The two went skidding along the marble floor until they reached the table where Mori hopped to the side, stopping the show and allowing Haruhi to breathe once more.

Her husband, who had reached for her hand in the process, sat stunned at the show, while Hunny continued to grin and praised Mori for adding in some new tricks. Asai was laughing and hugging the former host, thanking him profusely and promising to give him "a million kisses when I get as tall as you."

Mori glanced over at the woman still staring at him and asked, "Are you all right, Haruhi?"

The still shocked woman nodded numbly before shaking her head slightly and saying, "Mori, I'm assuming you've done this before since Asai asked you to do it again." A nod was her only response. "Then I'll allow it, but I'm somewhat glad you didn't tell me what you were going to do ahead of time."

"Yay, Haru-chan says it's okay," Hunny exclaimed, catching Kabuki up in his arms and jumping up from his chair. Running with the excited girl to the front of the room, he yelled, "Bunny Hop!"

Tossing Kabuki into the air, much like Mori had done, Hunny then took a flying leap, similar to those he had done when executing his martial arts moves, and caught the girl, landing gracefully on the ground. Haruhi felt her heart stop its pounding after they landed, and as she watched Kabuki smile and hug her uncle tight, she couldn't help wishing the entire host club was back together again.

Looking over at her husband, Haruhi remembered the notion of the host club being a family. She had always thought it was stupid of Tamaki to refer to himself as the father and even more stupid for him to refer to Kyouya as the mother of the group; however, once she understood his background a little better, Haruhi realized a few interesting things about Tamaki.

She directed her glance over to Mori and Hunny, both of whom were entertaining her daughters. The two had always been so close as cousins and had really been very supportive of her. Haruhi never felt like they were part of the group that tried to romance her; instead, they simply watched the goings on and only wanted her to be happy. Seeing them again made her smile.

Continuing in her thoughts, Haruhi happened to glance up behind her two senpais to the picture hanging on the wall. One of many that adorned the beautiful house, this one was probably one of Haruhi's least favorites. She remembered that it was taken right after the incident with the two fathers, and she hated to be reminded of how terrifying it was to know Kyouya's father would fight Tamaki's simply to claim her for his son.

She looked up at the picture and realized that the feelings of fear were fading and she could look at it without remembering the past. It had been taken two days after the dance, during an impromptu party Tamaki had thrown at her small apartment.

Looking at the picture, Haruhi laughed at the expression on Tamaki's and Kyouya's faces. She was sitting between them with a sort of "deer in the headlights" expression after the announcement. Tamaki looked absolutely sick, his white face even whiter than normal, and his violet eyes dulled a bit from their normal brightness. Kyouya no longer wore his normal calculating expression but instead seemed determined not to directly look at the camera. His face was pointed down with light reflecting off his glasses and his lips pursed together in a thin line.

Moving her gaze, she considered another part of the picture. Kaoru and Hikaru stood behind her, both wearing shocked looks, probably still surprised at what had happened. Kaoru's hand was on her left shoulder, Hikaru's on her right, but Haruhi still remembered standing up to see that they were holding hands behind her back in their twin fashion. Finally she looked at Mori and Hunny. The two seniors did not seem quite as surprised, though Hunny was strangely unanimated as he perched on Mori's shoulders.

"Mommy," Kabuki inquired. "What are you looking at that picture funny for?"

Haruhi looked at the girl who was staring at her and noticed everyone else had their eyes on her as well.

"Oh, I was just thinking about the past," she said quietly.

Asai's eyes lit up with glee. "Are you going to tell us the rest of the story?" She asked.

Mori and Hunny looked at Haruhi curiously before Asai continued, saying, "We want to know if the commoner princess marries both the princes, don't we, 'Buki?"

Kabuki smiled and replied, "Yeah, we want to know! 'Sai and I wanna know, Mommy!"

Staring at the two girls still looking at her, and feeling quite surprised that Mori and Hunny seemed so interested, Haruhi sighed before saying, "All right. Let me go get the book, and we'll read another chapter."

The girls cheered as their father stood up. He quickly suggested moving the party to another room, perhaps the library, to enjoy the story. Everyone agreed, and Haruhi left to fetch the book while the rest relocated.

"I wonder if Hunny-senpai would like to read the girls the chapter he wrote," Haruhi murmured to herself as she climbed the stairs to the music room.

A/N: Ok, so I know there wasn't any development in the story within the story (unless you read between the lines when you saw the picture part), but I think this was the perfect chapter to get us started on. And, if you haven't already been wondering, I'll go ahead and point out that the clash over Haruhi is not necessarily a clash between Tamaki and Kyouya only.

Ah, by the way, please let me know if you like the idea of the different host club members having written their own chapters in the story. Depending on how long it is, that might change down the road, but I thought it would be a cute touch. I've already written the next chapter where we finally get introduced to Hunny-senpai's chapter, and I hope I did his writing style (as I perceive it) justice.

Reviews would be nice as always, and thank you so much to those who have already reviewed. Please don't hesitate to point out mistakes or problems in the story, and once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Rae


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I wanted to let everyone know that I changed the format for this chapter a bit. We have a flashback and some journal reading in this chapter to give more context to the story. So, let me first tell what I did to change the format:**

_Italics mean you're reading a flashback (which should be rather obvious in the context of the story)_

-and-

_Italics also indicate when someone is reading from the book/journal._

**I only added the italicized parts to make it a little easier and so I wouldn't have to deal with all the quotation marks. Let me know what you think about it. **

Disclaimer: (Applies to the first two chapters as well) I do not write for any purpose other than my own satisfaction and my reader's enjoyment. I claim no ownership of characters in the stories I write unless I have made them myself. I only claim the plots to my stories and a desire to entertain.

**Please enjoy the story!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Three**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

Upon reaching the door to the music room, Haruhi opened it to reveal the familiar piano and elegant table and chairs. The only difference, she mused, was in the bookshelves. Having such a large library as they did, it made sense to put some of the bookshelves elsewhere in the house, but she always thought it so sweet of him to suggest putting these books in the room where they would share such incredible memories.

Glancing around the room, she grinned to herself as she moved to the piano where she had dropped the book last night. Remembering the kiss they'd shared and the night they had spent together reminiscing, Haruhi couldn't help but chuckle with the realization that she hadn't thought to put the book up. Bending over to pick it up, she groaned a little at the strain in her back and put a hand on her lower back, massaging it absently.

Opening the book to the page she'd left off on, Haruhi looked at the flourish in the letters that could only come from the host club "king's" flowery handwriting. Tamaki had always been one to over-dramatize any and everything, in Haruhi's opinion, but turning their story into such an elaborate fairy tale was a bit overdone. She smiled to herself, remembering the rest of the group's reactions when she had been forced, quite unwillingly, to read the king's chapter aloud.

_"Waah, Milord, what are you thinking?" The twins chorused in unison. "This is supposed to be our story, not a stupid fairy tale!" _

_Tamaki glared at Hikaru and Kaoru as they sat on the sofa, Kaoru in Hikaru's trademark embrace. The king looked over to Kyouya, who was busy writing something down in his little black notebook. Feeling Tamaki's pitiful puppy eyes on him, Kyouya looked up and instantly recognized the host's need for assurance._

_"While I don't think this is necessarily a good way to put it," the vice president began, "he did, actually, tell our story. Or at least the chapter following the dance."_

_Tamaki leapt up from his spot in the chair, racing round the table to grab Kyouya in a bear hug, crying all the while, "Kyouya! Mon ami! You are my best friend!"_

_"However," the host interrupted, a hand out to stop the overly excited club president, "I did not like your version of the story. You use too much flowery language, Tamaki; our patrons might enjoy it, but I do not." A suddenly depressed Tamaki moved away to sit on the floor, head down, mumbling to himself._

_Hunny looked anxiously at the king and said in a sing-song tone of voice, "I liked your story, Tama-chan! It was really pretty, and it made me think of Cinderella, and Haru-chan's kind of like our Cinderella, isn't she..."_

_"Mitsukuni," Mori's deep voice cut off the rambling little host. "It's enough." Glancing over at Tamaki, he said, "We liked it."_

_Though he smiled, Tamaki didn't move from his spot on the ground as he turned his large puppy dog eyes towards Haruhi. Feeling a bit trapped, she stared blankly as he asked, "What do you think of my story, my precious daughter?"_

_Haruhi glanced over at a pair of smirking twins, feeling rather annoyed for some reason when she saw their knowing stares. Kyouya, too, had a similar smirk on his face, seeming to conceal some secret behind those blasted glasses. Even Hunny and Mori seemed to her to know something she didn't. _

_Finally giving in to "father's" request, she stood from her chair and answered, "It doesn't really suit my tastes, but, as Kyouya-senpai already said, you did tell the story." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "I'm surprised you didn't make it even more dramatic." _

_Then, because she needed to get home to cook dinner, she calmly picked up her bag and walked out of the room, leaving a very distressed Tamaki growing mushrooms in a corner behind. _

"And, to think," she mused softly in the large room, "that was before anything else happened. The twins thought it would be such a fun game, but they didn't know how much it was going to hurt, did they?"

Still holding the open book, she flipped to the next page where Hunny's chapter began. Looking at his childish handwriting and the random doodles littering the margins, Haruhi smiled, remembering the two who hadn't joined in the game. She would always be thankful to them for helping her when she thought her horrible situation would never end.

Hearing a distant clock striking the hour, Haruhi shook herself, wondering when she became so easily distracted, and, closing the book, walked out of the music room, carefully closing the door behind her.

Making her way into the library, Haruhi grinned at the sight of the two uncles seated on the oversized couch, complete with two little girls in their laps. An obvious spot had been left open for her to sit, so she strolled over, sitting down carefully between the two hosts.

"Mommy, are you going to read now?" Kabuki questioned her mother.

Asai picked up the request, saying, "Yeah, we got all comfy with Uncle Mori and Uncle Hunny, so you can read now!"

Ignoring her daughters, Haruhi glanced at the man on her left, "Hunny-senpai," she asked, using a tone of voice she hoped was convincing, "since you wrote the second chapter, wouldn't you like to read it to the girls?"

Before the blond-headed man could reply, both girls shouted, "No! You have to read it, Mommy!"

Asai quickly said, "You have to read it, Mommy, because..."

"You tell stories the best," Kabuki finished for her sister.

Looking around rather helplessly, Haruhi found only amused glances from the three men in the room. Seeing no help for it, she once again opened the book, settling more comfortably between her two friends. Finding the page she was looking for, Haruhi began to read.

_After the dance was over, the two princes, along with their four friends, escorted the beautiful princess into their private room--the Third Music Room, of course!--where they sat for a while. Then, suddenly, bunnies with pieces of cake came hopping into the room, setting down the cake in front of each of the seven friends!_

"Bunnies?" Asai interrupted curiously. Looking over to her sweet Uncle Hunny, she asked, "Uncle Hunny, did bunnies really come out of nowhere with cake?"

"Yeah," Kabuki added, "I didn't think bunnies had hands."

Hunny giggled as he tickled Kabuki's sides and said, "No, bunnies didn't come with cake, but wouldn't it be fun if they did?"

The girls nodded happily and turned back to their mother once again. Seeing their attention focused on her, she continued to read, trying to recall if there were anymore "Hunny-isms" as she liked to call them.

_Hikaru and Kaoru quickly snagged the princess and sat on the couch with her, keeping the host club king away from her. Poor Tama-chan looked up miserably from where he now crouched on the ground, wishing his sweet princess would call to him. Kyo-chan simply pulled out his ever-present notebook and began to jot down notes in it._

_"Tamaki-senpai," a frazzled Haruhi called. The king stood up, grinning happily. "What made you leave with Eclair-san?"_

_The king was stumped for a minute. He had a reason for agreeing to the marriage, but he didn't know how to explain it to his precious daughter. _

At this, Haruhi paused a moment, wondering if her own daughters were understanding the story. She also questioned the intelligence of calling her by so many different titles in the same story, but looking at her girls, Haruhi realized it really didn't matter. The girls were enthralled with the story, and so she continued.

_"Well, I suppose it was because my grandmother asked me to," Tamaki began hesitantly. "I know that she's a wonderful person, and I want her to be happy with me. So when she asked me to marry Eclair, I knew that would make her happy!" _

_Clutching his Bun-Bun, and looking very cute, Hunny said quietly, "Did she really ask you to marry Eclair, Tama-chan? Or did she tell you to marry her?"_

_Tamaki looked conflicted at that question. He clearly remembered the conversation between himself and his grandmother, but he knew that mentioning parts of it would only stir the little senpai's ire. Even Tamaki could see that Hunny did not like his grandmother, and though he tried to hide it, the host club president wanted more than anything else to preserve the peace amongst his "family" by putting forth his carefree manner. _

_So, having thought for a moment, Tamaki smiled down at Hunny and replied, "Of course not, Hunny-senpai! My grandmother is a very gracious woman, and I know she only wants the best for me! That's why she asked me to marry Eclair."_

_The commoner cleared her throat and began to speak again. "Then, Tamaki-senpai," she hesitated for a moment before saying, "why did you jump out of the car to rescue me? You know I would have been fine in the water. And I know you know I can swim. So why did you do it?"_

_And that was where Tamaki, the host club king, was trapped. Having such a blunt question put to him over something he himself wasn't sure of caused him to pause. Looking into the unflinching gaze of his princess, Tamaki suddenly felt overcome by a surge of emotion he couldn't identify, but he continued to stare._

_But Takashi and Hunny knew all about it, right? They had figured out their Tama-chan ages ago, and they were ready for the bunnies to start popping out! Ah, well...they were ready for Tamaki to understand what he was feeling towards his daughter._

Haruhi chuckled softly at the small insert from Mori-senpai, who had obviously been trying to edit Hunny's chapter for content.

_The king, still wrestling with all the things he was feeling, suddenly jumped at Haruhi, pulling her out of the twins' grasps--and earning twin yells as he did so--and enfolding her safely in his arms. _

_"Oh, Haruhi," he said passionately, "how could I let such a lovely daughter fall to the depths of the black water? It is simply inconceivable for a father to do such a thing! I had to protect my beautiful flower before she drowned in the cruel, cold water!"_

_"Senpai," said flower's voice grated in his ears, "That water was green, not black. And it's the middle of summer! I wasn't cold! Now, let me go!" Haruhi yanked away from the blubbering boy and walked over to sit beside Kyouya._

_The shadow king glanced uninterestedly at the girl beside him, still wearing the beautiful gown she'd danced in, and continued to jot a few things down in his notebook. The twins began to argue about their toy leaving them. Even though the night started with a rescue, the family seemed unable to come to terms with what was happening in their midst. _

_But Takashi and Hunny knew that things were changing. In fact, the two glanced at each other as Haruhi was walking away from Tama-chan, and they knew the family dynamic was quickly turning into something different! However, they wouldn't say anything because they liked to sit back and watch...and eat lots of strawberry-flavored cake. And chocolate cake...and lemon cake..._

_After the chaos died down, Haruhi moved to go home, being quickly accosted by Tama-chan who wanted to take her home in his car. She refused, but he was not to be dissuaded, and simply asked if he could walk her home. Before she could reply, Hikaru and Kaoru rushed in and grabbed her, fleeing the now bellowing king. _

_Little did they know that the king was about to get a great idea... and it would be from someone they would never suspect. But even more shocking, however, would be the fact that another certain someone would have the same idea, again from an unlikely source!_

"Ano, excuse me, Haruhi-san," a nervous maid interrupted, still unused to the title her boss asked her to use, "but Mori-senpai's wife just called. Apparently she is...well..." She stopped, hesitant to say anything in front of the girl's. But it seemed Mori understood.

Gently setting the girl in his lap on the floor, the giant host stood gracefully and looked to Haruhi and Hunny expectantly.

"I understand, Mori," Haruhi said quietly. "She needs you right now. Besides, what were you doing coming over here when she was so close anyways?"

Hunny, Kabuki having already slipped off her uncle's lap, hopped up quickly and grinned. "Come on, Takashi," he called, already running towards the door, "we have to get to the hospital fast!"

The two bowed slightly to Haruhi and her daughters as they made their hasty departure, the girls already well into a conversation about the story they'd just heard. Haruhi looked over at her husband, who was wearing a rather silly expression on his face. Walking over to him, she slipped her hand into his.

"I love children," he said. "They're just so rambunctious and fun-loving." He surveyed the area where the girls were now playing happily. "I'm so happy for Mori-senpai, aren't you?"

Haruhi nodded her agreement as she said, "We should leave the girls with their nanny and go visit the hospital in case they need anything. Besides, it will be nice to see the whole gang, won't it?"

Agreeing, her husband quickly called the girls to him and told them to go visit their nanny. Sighing as he saw the evil looks on their faces, he reminded them to behave in an unusually stern tone of voice before sending them on their way.

The two gathered the things they would need before heading out to the waiting car. It was so exciting, Haruhi thought to herself, that they would no longer be the only hosts to have children. She couldn't wait to see what Mori's baby was.

**A/N: I can't believe I gave Mori a wife...let alone a pregnant wife who is now in labor. Oh well. What did you all think of that? Ah, and I have to thank my reviewer Rocket MS17 for asking me to make my author's notes stand apart from the story. I hope the bold has helped. **

**Two things you can review to help me out: 1) Mori having a wife and child (let me know how you like that idea, please?), and 2) my interpretation of Hunny's writing style (it was interesting to write, to say the least). **

**All right, I'll stop rambling. My chapters are quickly getting longer and longer. The next chapter introduces the main conflict that will thrust our poor host club into some angst-filled situations, but hopefully it will all even out. Anyway, thank you to those of you who have reviewed, and please stick with me for the rest of my saga! (Ah, and another review to tell me how I'm doing wouldn't hurt either!) Thanks!**

**-Rae-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm updating fast again. Go figure. This chapter introduces the main conflict...or, rather, the beginning conflict of the story. I want to dedicate this chapter to my new beta: jcyz. She has been helping me immensely, and I am so happy to have her editing my story! Thanks for all your help, Jacey! (I hope you don't mind me calling you that! Hehe.) Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not write for anyone other than myself. I hope that people can enjoy my stories, but I claim no ownership of characters. I only own the plots that I create and the joy of writing. And I do not receive payment for my works in any way, shape or fashion!

**Or So They Say: Chapter Four**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

Falling languidly into bed, Haruhi turned to her side, facing her already half-asleep husband. The two had spent the majority of the day at the hospital with the rest of the old host club, and they both needed the rest. Sadly, Mori's wife was suffering from a long first birth, something Haruhi remembered not so fondly.

"Do you think we should have stayed with Mori and Hunny?" She asked her husband, feeling rather guilty for leaving her friend during such a nerve-wracking time.

He glanced at her sleepily and replied, "No, the others were planning to stay, weren't they?" She nodded. "Then I think it's fine that we came home. Besides, the girls hate it when we're both gone."

Thinking of the tow-headed rascals asleep once again in Asai's bed, Haruhi grinned. "You're right, of course," she mumbled drowsily. "And we can go see them tomorrow anyways."

"I thought you'd see it my way," a suddenly sensual voice replied in her ear. She shuddered softly as he nibbled softly on her ear. "But we need to get some sleep, don't we? You'll, of course, want to go see Mori-senpai as early as possible, right?" Haruhi could hear the smirk in his voice as it rumbled softly against the skin of her neck.

"You can be really evil when you want to be," she whispered, turning back towards him. Moving her hand to cup his cheek, she softly kissed him before saying, "But you're right; we do need some sleep. Good night."

He smiled at her and turned away to switch off the bedside lamp. Haruhi, in turn, sat up, propping another pillow behind her back before grabbing the old journal off her bedside table. Looking over at her husband, she knew he would be asleep before long; he always drifted off before her, and he never seemed to mind sleeping with the light on.

Opening the book to the chapter she'd read to the girls earlier, she let her eyes caress the page, feeling her heart lighten even as she remembered the cruelty she had once faced. Strangely enough, Haruhi wasn't angry about what had happened; it had served to change them--all of them--in many ways. She knew she could never forget that fateful night or the consequences that came with it, but she was finally ready to let go of the pain.

Staring at the strong writing on the page, Mori's chapter, she began to read again the story that had given her all the things she now had: lifelong friends, her beautiful daughters, and her incredible husband. Haruhi sighed softly and let her mind drift back to that day as she read Mori's perspective on what had happened.

_It had been a beautiful dance; Haruhi was stunning in her dress, and the rest of the school had simply been in awe of Tamaki's fair maid. While everyone seemed to recognize her, no one chose to oust Haruhi as a female except for the one club that never seemed to change. _

_The next day, students absent from the dance were seen carrying school newspapers, a rare sight. Tamaki nearly went berserk when he saw the picture on the front page. He and his 'beloved daughter' were smiling and dancing together under the headline: 'Famed host bares all, including gender!' _

_The twins had already snagged Haruhi, depositing her safely in the Third Music Room and away from prying eyes. The whispers filled the school as all saw the paper. She didn't seem to care about the picture, but the rest of the club was furious, even Kyouya had more of a glare in his eyes than normal. _

_Luckily, it didn't matter that Haruhi had been exposed because none of her fans believed it. In fact, most of the guys refused to believe it, too. The newspaper club was even reprimanded by teachers, who criticized the chairman for not reporting the facts. (Mitsukuni and I speculated that Kyouya might have had something to do with this, as he was very smug once word got out.) _

_Nevertheless, the newspaper was quickly forgotten once the day was done, and the students went home excited that school was almost done for the year. Graduation was the following day, and Hunny was so depressed at leaving the host club members that he couldn't eat a bite of cake during host club activities. Not even his Bun-bun could make him smile._

_The club members had even ordered many specialty cakes simply because Hunny and Mori were graduating. With the girls crowding around, it quickly became a graduation party for the two oldest hosts. Hunny was cheered by this for a while, but it was apparent that he wasn't completely happy. However, Haruhi was kind enough to ask them to continue to visit the host club when they could because, as she put it, "the host club simply isn't the host club without you." Mori was surprised by her display of emotions but also touched; Hunny simply threw his arms around her tightly, telling her over and over to promise never to forget him._

_Following the end of host club activities, the members sat around rather dully. There was nothing left to do but go home and face the facts that the club was about to be broken up. Hunny and Mori were the first to leave, having to get up early the next morning to prepare for their graduation. The rest trickled out slowly, but eventually, the famed Third Music Room was empty. Silence settled over the school, and the family prepared, each in his own way, for the dynamic to change. _

_The next morning, Haruhi and the twins arrived at the graduation ceremony together, making Tamaki very angry. After a few choice words, of course, the president went off to his corner to sulk, and the twins' laughter echoed throughout the auditorium. _

_"Congratulations, Mori-senpai," Haruhi called when she reached him after the ceremony. Hunny had rushed off to get some cake after the graduation, leaving the gentle giant alone for a moment. "I'm very happy for you, senpai," she continued with a smile on her face. _

_"Ha-ru-hi!" Tamaki's voice suddenly interrupted the moment as he snatched the female host up and began squeezing her. "You are just so cute, my dear daughter! Daddy thinks you are the most precious daughter in the world!"_

_Seeing Haruhi's 'rescue me' face once more, Mori pulled her from Tamaki's arms, smiling slightly when she laughingly thanked him. Tamaki went off to pout as Hunny returned from the banquet. _

_"Haru-chan, did you see me graduate?" Hunny asked her happily. "Didn't I look cute in my robe?" He giggled to himself. _

_Haruhi shook her head slightly and replied, "Congratulations, Hunny-senpai! I'm so happy that you've graduated. You must feel proud." _

_Hunny grinned up into her big brown eyes and said, "Bun-bun graduated, too, you know! He had a cap and gown and everything!" Pulling the stuffed bunny from seemingly nowhere, he proudly showed off the miniature cap and gown the bunny wore. _

_While the three hosts were chatting, however, Tamaki had wondered off to a corner of the auditorium. He originally planned to pout like he normally did, but something stopped him. _

_"Tamaki," a stern voice called out to him. He turned to see his father standing at the door. "Come with me for a moment." Nodding, the host club king followed his father out the door. _

_At the same time, Kyouya was on the phone in an unoccupied area near the window. _

_"Yes, I understand," he said calmly. "I should be able to do that, yes. However, I don't understand why you want me to do that."_

_A pause in the conversation had Kyouya readjusting his glasses, thankful no one could see his face. _

_"You've never been interested in...them...before," he began, "so what makes this graduation any different?" The person's reply must have been an angry one. "Of course. No, I'm not questioning you." Another pause. "Yes, this afternoon then." _

_In the school's spacious halls, Tamaki and Suou Yuzuru walked slowly, neither speaking. Tamaki watched his father curiously, wondering what he was thinking, but when Yuzuru stopped, Tamaki had no idea what his father was about to request of him. _

_"Your friends, Haninozuka-kun and Morinozuka-kun have graduated," he said conversationally. "Will you be continuing the host club now that they're gone?" _

_Tamaki looked thoughtful at this. "I'm not sure, father. I'd like to, and we still have Kyouya, the twins and Haruhi-chan. We could probably continue it, couldn't we?" _

_Yuzuru glanced over at his son and said, "You should try; I'm sure it will work out. Besides, you have Kyouya-kun at the helm, right?" The teasing glint in his eyes went unnoticed by his son. _

_Tamaki replied, "Kyouya is my best friend! And...he's my mon ami and the club vice president! Kyouya is mother of the club." He became a bit flustered but calmed quickly enough. _

_Yuzuru had not heard that particular piece of information about Kyouya; he filed it away to mull over later. Looking out a nearby window, he casually said, "I'm sure, of course, that you've planned a graduation party for Haninozuka and Morinozuka, right, Tamaki?" _

_"The host club held a party for them yesterday, Father," Tamaki said, sounding puzzled at his father's rather quick change in subject. _

_"Yes, but have you not considered holding a special party with just the host club members?" Yuzuru asked sneakily. "I'm sure Fujioka-chan wouldn't mind having a party at her house."_

_Even before he finished his sentence, Yuzuru could see the wheels turning in his silly son's head. Tamaki's face lit up as if he had suddenly discovered the cure for the common cold, and Yuzuru smirked slightly. _

_"What a wonderful idea," Tamaki was saying. "Yes, Haruhi would love to have a party at her house! It would be lovely, and we would partake in commoner games, and Hunny and Mori would be happy..." The king trailed off as he wandered away from his father, walking back to the auditorium. _

_Back at the graduation ceremony, Haruhi was preparing to go home. She needed to go to the grocery store to pick up some food for dinner, and she still had some cleaning to do before her father got home. Congratulating her senpais once again, she quickly gathered her things before sneaking away from the crowd and incredibly being able to avoid the twins. _

_Tamaki came back a few moments after Haruhi's departure and immediately scanned the room for the host club members. Seeing Kyouya standing at a window, he rushed over, frantically explaining to his best friend why the host club should have a party at Haruhi's house for the graduating third years. For once in their relationship, Kyouya did not argue with his friend and instead welcomed the idea. _

_That was that; gathering the rest of the host club, the president and vice president moved out, stopping by a gourmet grocery store to pick up some items Kyouya had surprisingly already ordered. The Suou limo moved swiftly towards the Fujioka apartment where an unsuspecting Haruhi was already cleaning for her father...and her soon-to-be-guests._

Yawning loudly, Haruhi sleepily stared at the page she had just read. Mori's writing was certainly elaborate, leaving nothing out. She wasn't surprised, really, because the tall host had always had an eye for detail. However, reading all this was really tiring her out, and she didn't feel she could stay awake much longer.

Wanting to get to the climax of the chapter, she flipped a few pages ahead, skipping over the part where the host club showed up so suddenly at her house. She could remember her ire starting to get the best of her, especially when the twins began harassing Tamaki. Her anger had peaked when the king huddled in his corner growing more mushrooms because of a well-timed twin trick leaving her on the floor in a rather compromising position. Hikaru had apologized profusely while blushing, but Kaoru refused to apologize, only smirking like a kid with a secret. That had been the last straw.

As Haruhi began trying in vain to shove her senpais and the twins out the door, her father had arrived home. Reading the last few lines before her father's entrance, Haruhi recalled how strange it was to see him that night. She continued to read Mori's entry in the faded journal.

_"What are you doing with my daughter?" A booming voice broke through the crowded doorway. Fujioka Ryoji stood looming over Hikaru and Tamaki, glaring down at the king with an evil aura as they turned to face him, both looking like deer caught in headlights. _

_Everyone paused at the entrance of Haruhi's father. It wasn't that they hadn't seen him before; they had. What was so different was his attire; in fact, his entire demeanor had changed. _

_"Dad," Haruhi said, "what are you wearing?" _

_The hosts all took a step back as Ryoji entered the room. He was dressed head to toe as a male. In fact, no traces of the okama could be found in him, and he even adopted a male stance. _

_A black suit adorned his small figure with a white dress shirt underneath. Ryoji had chosen a blue tie to accentuate the outfit and had pulled his long hair back into a tidy ponytail. His black dress shoes were polished and still gleaming from the obvious work he'd put into them. Haruhi felt shock welling up inside her seeing her father look so...male. _

_Without answering his daughter's question, Ryoji spoke. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked, pointing to the host club and the rather garish graduation decorations the twins had managed to procure. "Is this some kind of party you didn't tell me about, Haruhi?" _

_Haruhi gulped. "No, Dad," she stammered, "they just showed up out of nowhere!"_

_Glancing over to Hunny and Mori, Ryoji said, "I suppose congratulations are in order, then." Haruhi's face showed her surprise that her father knew about the graduation. "Well, let's sit down. We can celebrate later, I think."_

_The host club crowded around the Fujioka table, using the 'commoner space saving trick' Tamaki had taught them to sit with their knees up. Once everyone had settled down, Ryoji took a deep breath before pulling an envelope out of his pocket._

_"I suppose I should go ahead and read this to you all," he said tiredly. The okama suddenly looked very drawn and stressed, something none of the hosts had noticed until now. _

_Opening the envelope, he extracted what looked like a business letter complete with company header. Unfolding it, he began to read:_

_'Dear Fujioka-san,_

_If you are reading this letter, it means that you are, indeed, with the members of the host club. We promise to get straight to the point since we know our earlier requests were rather shocking._

_Your daughter has changed the members of the host club, Fujioka-san. We are no fools, and we can clearly see the difference she has made in these young men. For that reason, we feel she is a valuable asset, not only to Ouran Academy but also to the lives of those around her._

_Because she is such a valuable asset, we believe it would be wise for you to be planning for her future. We understand she would like to attend law school. It is quite possible that we have the financial solution you might be looking for in that matter. In fact, it is clear that we can support your daughter financially for the rest of her life._

_However, in order for that to happen, she will have to make a choice. It is not enough for her to be a member of the host club. We feel she should choose someone in the host club and not just anyone. Obviously we have both come to you in good faith and are working together on this plan, but we are, Fujioka-san, indeed in a competition. _

_The only conclusion we can make, then, is that Haruhi will have the next two years, until her graduation, to choose whom she will. Either of our sons would make a fine husband for your lovely daughter, and she would be well taken care of. You yourself would enjoy the comforts of a rich life as well. _

_Since Haruhi is a scholarship student, she is at risk of losing that scholarship, for whatever the reason, at any time. Therefore, we advise that you have your daughter take these next two years to choose her husband carefully. We will, of course, provide ample opportunities for her to spend time with our sons. If you feel this arrangement is unfair or inadequate, please do not hesitate to contact us; however, we feel you will agree that Haruhi would be better off as the wife of a son who will inherit some fortune rather than a simple lawyer trying to eke out a living for herself. _

_Unless we hear from you, we will assume that Haruhi will be working on her decision from here on out. We thank you again for your time and cooperation in this matter and hope to become close friends with your family over the next two years.'_

_Concluding the letter, Ryoji read the names of the writers: Ootori Yoshio and Suou Yuzuru. _

Her yawns now getting the best of her, Haruhi set aside the journal and turned off the light. It had been a long day, but she was happy that things had turned out this way. Snuggling up to her husband, she marveled at how time changed people, but before she could muse any further, sleep took hold of her, drawing her in for a good night's rest.

**A/N: Well, that concludes the introduction of conflict. The next chapter will have a little more of the development with Mori and his baby. I'm very excited about his wife, and I understand that some of you might find it strange for him to be married when he's so devoted to Hunny. Hopefully I'll be able to develop that fairly well so you'll see why I think it could happen. Anyway, please don't hesitate to leave me a review and let me know what you think about this chapter! I've been very encouraged reading all of your remarks, and I'm thinking I might have to reveal the husband earlier than I thought just to avoid a riot. Haha. Ok, I'm done rambling. Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all continue to enjoy my story! **

**-Rae-**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, guys! I want to apologize at how long it's taken me (in light of the first four quick updates) to add this chapter to the story. I know you all are enjoying my fast updates, and this would have been here sooner had my dad not endured a bad motorcycle wreck on Saturday. He was in the emergency room of two different hospitals, undergoing tests and whatnot, for many hours. He didn't come home until Sunday evening, but my mom and I are thanking God that dad was in such good shape despite the bad wreck. So, that's my excuse for taking so long on this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of any characters I borrow from the anime/manga. I only claim enjoyment in the creative process and desire to continue writing effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, I get no profits from my writing. Thanks!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Five**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

Haruhi awoke the next morning to her husband's voice on the phone. Apparently, his cell phone ring tone had been the annoying noise that brought her out of her peaceful slumber. Curling into a ball, she tried in vain to go back to sleep but one sentence from her husband stopped that.

"Chizuru-san finally had her baby?" His pleasant voice and genuine smile stole over Haruhi and caused her to pay attention. "Well, come on, what was it? Mori and Chizuru have been hiding it for so long now!"

The person on the phone gave no apparent answer to her husband's question. "Oh, so we're getting together at noon for lunch then," he said. "I'm sure that will be fine. Haruhi is awake now, so that's one problem taken care of." He laughed at her mock glare. "Yes, we'll be sure to come. All right, see you then!" Closing his phone, he turned to look at Haruhi.

"Chizuru had the baby," she said excitedly. "Mori must be so proud! He's been a little bit anxious throughout her pregnancy, you know!"

"Sometimes I marvel at your ability to see through a person," her husband quietly said, sitting down next to her. "You can never tell when someone is feeling something for you," he continued, smirking at her uncharacteristic blush, "but you always seem to know what others are feeling."

The former host quirked an eyebrow as she said, "What can I say? It's a gift." She sniffed haughtily at the amused expression on his face. "Oh come on, you saw his anxiety, too. Don't think I didn't notice!"

"Yes, well, I suppose I did see something in Mori-senpai. He looked...strained at times, usually when he thought Hunny-senpai wasn't watching," he added.

Haruhi shook her head slightly. "It's amazing to me how their roles have reversed over the years. Now Hunny-senpai is the protective one, and Mori is the recipient of that protective nature. I guess time has that effect on people."

The two continued their conversation as they got dressed for breakfast. Haruhi wanted to get Chizuru some kind of gift even though she'd already given her a baby shower present at the girls' party last month. Her husband didn't mind in the least, so they left the house a little early to go shopping. The girls stayed with their nanny again.

Arriving at the group's normal spot, Haruhi and her husband were welcomed by the rest of the old club minus Mori-senpai. Hunny came to the lunch meeting despite being worried about his cousin, but everyone assured him it would be all right to leave Mori and his family alone for an hour.

"All right, guys," Haruhi finally said when they'd settled into their seats, "spill it. What was Mori's baby?"

Hunny's face lit up, and he spoke before anyone else, "Haru-chan, it's a girl! Takashi has a beautiful baby girl, and her name is Hinako! Oh, Haru-chan, she's so pretty, and Chizuru's doing well, too!"

The rest of the table smiled at Hunny's rambling thoughts on his godchild. They all knew Hunny would spoil the new baby girl terribly, but something about that thought made them all very joyful.

"Well," Tamaki said, raising his glass of wine, "now that everyone knows what Mori-senpai's baby is, I think we should have a toast." The rest of the group dutifully raised their glasses. "To the newest member of the Morinozuka family, Hinako!" The hosts clinked glasses and drank heartily, feeling relief and sheer pleasure that Mori's unease was now over.

"This is the second of our group's couples to have a child," Kyouya mused as he bit into his chicken. "I wonder who will be the next one."

Haruhi mulled over this for a moment as she ate her lunch. The rest of the group laughed and talked like they normally did, but as she had been for days, Haruhi felt herself growing rather sentimental.

"Chizuru-san was so great during the birth," Hunny-senpai was saying. "She didn't scream or anything; she only held onto Takashi's hand."

"That's not surprising," Kaoru pointed out, "considering how she reacted when she and Mori met. After he rescued her from the men who attacked her, she wouldn't let go of him even when the doctors at the hospital wanted to check her injuries."

"And Mori-senpai wouldn't let go of her, either," Hikaru added in a contemplative tone of voice. "She was probably the first person besides Hunny-senpai that Mori's ever really protected like that. I mean, he never really had to seriously protect Haruhi because the rest of us were around."

Tamaki looked thoughtful as he said, "Well, Mori-senpai was always compassionate to those smaller than himself, and he hated to hurt the feelings of the girls who designated him in the host club. It's not hard to see him falling for someone like Chizuru who needed his protection."

Hunny's voice grew slightly darker when he said, "And it's not like her miscarriage had something to do with his feelings, either. Poor Chizuru-chan was so broken after that, and Takashi felt responsible for not having rescued her sooner." His voice lightened, though, as he continued, "I wanted to protect her, too, but Takashi took it upon himself to take care of her. That was when I realized that he was falling for her."

Kyouya, one black eyebrow raised, pointed out, "You always did know what was going on with the rest of us, didn't you, Hunny-senpai? As I recall it, you figured out long before anyone else that Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru had fallen for Haruhi. You and Mori talked about that after your graduation, didn't you?"

Hunny grinned at his old friend and replied, "Well, I guess I wasn't all cakes and Bun-bun in high school, Kyo-chan. But I only wanted everyone's happiness, and with all of you liking Haruhi, Takashi and I knew things would only get worse. However, I suppose you're right; I found it rather easy to read you all in high school."

Haruhi muttered, "Then why did you play the loli shouta boy?" She was really talking to herself, but the rest of the group heard her.

"That's because it was fun!" Hunny's exclamation didn't really surprise her. "And I really, really liked cake! Actually, I still do," he said with a large grin. "They have the best strawberry shortcake here, Haru-chan!"

Tamaki looked at Haruhi and shrugged, saying, "Some things never change. I think Hunny-senpai's on a perpetual sugar high, personally."

The twins had a great laugh at this, and even Kyouya smiled a little. Haruhi laughed at how abashed Hunny became at this comment, and she reminded herself that he hadn't completely changed from the Hunny-senpai she knew in high school.

The group finished their lunch and headed to the hospital in high spirits. Everyone had piled into the Suou limo, and they enjoyed the camaraderie they'd shared at Ouran Academy. Once they arrived at the hospital, the group piled out of the car and followed Hunny up to Chizuru's room. Knocking once, Hunny opened the door when Chizuru gave the okay.

"Chizuru-chan," he exclaimed as he entered, "we're here to visit you and the baby! Where's my Hina-chan?"

The tired-looking woman on the bed smiled softly as she replied, "Takashi just went to get her out of the nursery. I'm so glad you all could come today."

Haruhi rushed over to her friend's side. "How are you, Chizuru?" She wanted to give the woman a hug but was worried she might still be in pain from the birth. Chizuru forestalled Haruhi's thoughts when she reached up to pull her friend into a loose embrace.

"I'm wonderful, Haruhi-chan," Chizuru replied, smiling brightly. "And Hinako is wonderful as well. I can't even begin to tell you how beautiful she is, Haruhi! And she's so tiny, too!"

Haruhi grinned at her brown-haired friend, watching how her soft brown eyes sparkled as she talked about her daughter. She remembered her own joy when Asai and Kabuki had been born and how it felt to realize for the first time that she was a mother.

Just then, Mori returned from the nursery holding a small bundle. The group of friends clustered around him as he walked into the room cradling his baby daughter. Everyone grinned when he offered Hinako to Haruhi, who eagerly took the girl out of his arms.

Sitting in the corner rocking chair, Haruhi marveled over this little miracle. Hinako had beautiful black hair, quite a lot of it, actually. Her eyes were the darkest brown Haruhi had ever seen, but they were also large eyes, much like her mother's. The little girl was wrapped in a pink blanket, but Haruhi unwrapped her a bit to see her little hands and feet. When she did, Haruhi smiled as Hinako took hold of one of her fingers.

The club members stayed in the room with Chizuru and Hinako for most of the afternoon, each friend getting a chance to hold the newest member of their extended "family." Before long, however, Haruhi and her husband had to leave because they needed to talk to their daughters about Mori's new baby.

As they rode home, her husband glanced at her and said, "You looked beautiful holding Hinako-chan. It reminded me of when you used to hold Asai and Kabuki."

Haruhi smiled almost sappily in remembrance. "Babies are wonderful, aren't they? And Hinako is a beautiful baby. She has her mother's eyes and her father's hair."

He smiled back at her and replied, "Yes, she does. But I guess that's what happens with babies, isn't it? I mean, the same thing happened with Asai and Kabuki; though, they take after their uncles in some respects." He laughed a little as he said the last sentence.

"Yes," Haruhi said, "but I wouldn't change them for the world. Though seeing Hinako made me remember how much I liked having a little baby around." Her sharp eyes were watching her husband like a hawk as she said this, waiting to see his reaction.

He turned to her and pointed out, "Well, you are a wonderful mother, so I'm not surprised. I enjoy having babies around, too."

The subject was dropped after that since they had arrived home. Asai and Kabuki crowded their mother and father demanding to know why they had been gone all weekend. The girls' nanny, a capable young woman, followed them and tried unsuccessfully to convince them to give their parents a moment. Haruhi dismissed the woman in a moment of compassion, and the two began to explain about the addition to Mori's family.

Later that night, Haruhi sat in her bed, reading the old journal once again. The girls were so excited about the baby they forgot to ask for a bedtime story. All they had wanted to do was to run over to the hospital to visit their new cousin. Haruhi and her husband spent at least an hour tiring their daughters out so they would sleep. Then the two headed for their own bed.

Flipping to the end of Mori's chapter in the book, Haruhi reread the letter her father had received from the Suou and Ootori heads. She let her memories take over as she turned to the next chapter, one the twins had decided to write together. Tamaki had been so angry that Hikaru and Kaoru wrote the chapter together, but the rest of the group had known that would happen. It didn't really matter because their styles were so similar, Haruhi mused as she started the chapter.

_After Ranka read the letter, everyone went a little berserk. Haruhi looked sick and quickly excused herself to go to the bathroom. The rest of the group sat in a stunned silence. _

_Mori-senpai's eyes had widened slightly when Ranka finished reading the letter, but other than his clenched fists, he showed no signs of emotion. Hunny-senpai was the same, using his martial arts training to steel his emotions against this whirlwind of news. Hikaru and Kaoru weren't quite so composed. They quickly grabbed hands and held so tightly to one another that both of them were in a great deal of pain. _

_But, it was the last two, Kyouya-senpai and Milord, who took the news with the most aplomb. Kyouya had to readjust his glasses twice so that the light would reflect off them. Everyone knew this was his defense mechanism against showing emotion, but it was unusual that the precise Kyouya would have to adjust them twice. Tamaki, on the other hand, lost all color in his face; his normally goofy expression became blank as he mulled over what was said. _

_Once Haruhi came out of the bathroom, Ranka-san tried to lighten up the party. It was a rather failed attempt. He managed to pull a camera out of nowhere and told everyone to gather for a picture. Haruhi looked absolutely mutinous over this. _

_"Dad," she said evenly, "why do we need to take a picture?" _

_Ranka smiled sweetly at his daughter and replied, "Because we're having a graduation party for Haninozuka-kun and Morinozuka-kun, of course!" _

_Before she could argue any further, Hikaru and Kaoru dragged her over to the rest of the group, positioning her in front of them. Hikaru was angry when he realized he'd placed her between Kyouya and Tamaki, but Kaoru restrained him with a touch on his shoulder. _

_"Everyone smile," Ranka called before snapping the photo. No one did. _

_Shortly after that, the party began to break up. Kyouya was the first to leave, stating that he needed to speak with someone. His demeanor was frighteningly colder than normal, and he was already dialing someone on his cell phone as he left. _

_Tamaki left after Kyouya. Milord had been muttering something about a 'cruel and heartless trick' that he couldn't 'believe father would do something like this.' Trying and failing to bring up a genuine smile for the first time, Milord asked to be excused in a rather stiff voice, and Ranka-san surprisingly did not make fun of him in any way. _

_Mori and Hunny were the next to leave. They stayed a little longer than Tamaki since it was their party, but Hunny-senpai couldn't even eat the cake Kyouya had ordered for him. Once again, depression stole over a host club party. They left after they had both assured Haruhi that they would be there for her if she needed anything. _

_That left Hikaru and Kaoru. Hikaru's anger had been slowly growing as time passed. Though the shadow king and Milord had left, he hadn't calmed down in the least. It was only a matter of time before he erupted. Kaoru saw that and decided it would be better for Hikaru to erupt at home rather than in front of the still shocked Haruhi. So, the twins left. _

_As they stood outside the Fujioka apartment, Kaoru watched his brother clenching his fists repeatedly. Knowing there was only one way to make Hikaru relax, Kaoru decided to propose a game. Really, it was a cop-out, but Kaoru knew he couldn't handle Hikaru's venting on him, especially when his own anger was already at the surface and struggling to get the best of him._

_"Hikaru," he began, "I've thought of a new game to play." Before his incredulous brother could whale on him for having such an idea during a crisis, he continued, "It's called the 'Who Will Win Haruhi Game,' and you and I are going to be in it." _

_Still angry, Hikaru asked, "What's the prize?" _

_"The prize, dear brother," Kaoru calmly answered, "is Haruhi's love, of course." Here he paused. "And her hand in marriage." _

Haruhi closed the book at this point. She didn't need any more reminders of the twins' games, especially one like this that had changed things so quickly. Looking over at her sleeping husband, she set the book aside and turned off the light, once again snuggling up to her love. Lying on her side, she reached back and rubbed her back for a moment before drifting off to sleep.

**A/N: Well, what did you think? I've thoroughly enjoyed all of my reviews for this story and am excited to see how you enjoy this twist. I'm especially interested in a) your thoughts on Mori's wife (I tried to put the hints of their story in without completely telling how they got together), and b) what you thought of the twin's sinister plot (AKA their next game). **

**On a side note, I took the names for Mori's wife and daughter from the underlings in the Zuka Club, but they have no relation. I'm not very good with names, but I thought those were pretty names. Oh, and I really wanted to get this up for you guys, so I really hope you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you thought! Thanks again, everyone! **

**-Rae-**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I think I've finally sort of figured out where this story is going. I had some moments where I wasn't sure that my ideas would work with where I was in the story, but overall, I think I've managed to get it almost to the end of the story, at least in my head anyways. I've got up to chapter eight typed out and am just going to give it a couple days between updates. **

**On a more interesting note, I have to admit that I'm hoping to get to the real crux of Haruhi's conflict (both internal and external) by the ninth chapter. So chapters nine and ten should be really interesting for you guys; though I promise not to put too much angst on our poor hostess. Anyway, you all can be looking forward to that! **

**Props and thanks to my lovely beta, jcyz, who has been such a great help with my story! Jacey, you're the best!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran, nor do I make a profit off my works. I am a humble fan enjoying twisting the story to fit her happy fantasies and (hopefully) those of her readers. Thanks!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Six**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

_While the twins worked out the details in their new game, several things were happening with the other host club members. However, Hikaru and Kaoru had never been ones to sit back and simply wait for information to come to them. So they immediately put their "Project: Spy On The Host Club" into play. _

_It was really surprising how many different channels the twins had at their disposal. For example, they had already bribed Ranka-san into installing hidden cameras around his tiny home. It took Kaoru only ten minutes to convince the okama that their mother's incredible designs would look beautiful on such a feminine creature like Fujioka Ryoji; all he had to do in exchange, Kaoru innocently explained, was allow their men to install the security cameras in his home._

_Now, Ranka was no fool; he knew that the twins merely wanted to spy on his precious daughter. He could also tell that Hikaru was falling for Haruhi, even if the boy himself didn't know it yet. However, the beautiful dresses Kaoru had his men bring in made Ranka-san swoon with excitement. When Kaoru promised to bring some smaller outfits for Haruhi, Ranka was sold. He did require the twins to sign a document stating they would not watch his daughter in any embarrassing circumstances, though. _

_Kaoru had no trouble convincing Hikaru to sign. He simply threatened his brother with bodily harm if he ever caught him breaking the contract. Hikaru knew well enough to placate his twin on this matter, even though he didn't realize Kaoru was more jealous over the idea that anyone would see Haruhi in bed or in the shower than he was determined to keep his end of the bargain. _

_However, that is completely beside the point. The twins' network extended so far that they even had some connections inside the Ootori compound, a feat for any rich genius but especially so for two such crafty twins. Kyouya wouldn't find out about their spies for years to come, and when he did, he would, surprisingly enough, chuckle at their means of information gathering. _

_So, on the "night that changed everything" as Haruhi dubbed it, Hikaru and Kaoru were busily working at their twin laptops, the most expensive Apple laptops decked out in matching green colors. The two moved from one camera view to the next, both monitoring the state of affairs amongst their friends. _

_Haruhi, it seemed, had talked with her father for a while, asking him question after question about the letter. Ranka tried to appease his daughter by explaining how shocking it was to him as well, but she wasn't buying it. _

_"What did they mean by that letter, Dad?" Anger was breaking through her voice now as her eyes narrowed. _

_Ranka looked at his daughter solemnly and said, "I already told you, Haruhi. I'm not sure, but it sounds like marriage." _

_"That's not true!" Haruhi's shout brought Kaoru's head over to look at his twin's screen in shock. "They said 'if you're reading this'! They must have already contacted you for you to have a letter to read at the party." She calmed down slightly as she said, "So, I'll ask you once more: what did they mean?" _

_Her father was now studying his hands, which still held the ominous letter. Ranka finally began to speak, eyes still on his hands. _

_"I can't tell you what they mean, Haruhi," he began quietly, "but I can tell you that they are very serious about this. Suou-san and Ootori-san have spoken to me before tonight, yes. It was a strange experience that I cannot yet tell you about." He paused when he looked up to find hurt in his daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry, Haruhi. I know this has been a shock to you, but I can't really explain anything else; they've promised to give us more information tomorrow. That's really all I can tell you." _

_From their post in their room, Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other uneasily. Ranka-san was no longer the chipper, boisterous okama they'd met before. This Ranka-san was a different person, older...and tired. _

_Hikaru switched off the Fujioka screen and glanced over to his brother, who was now riveted on his own computer screen. _

_"You cruel father," Tamaki was shouting as he paced in the lobby of the Suou mansion, "how could you do this to my poor daughter? Are you some kind of monster?!" _

_The twins snickered at the king's ire._

_Suddenly a butler appeared on the screen. "Tamaki-sama," he intoned, "you must retire to your mansion for the evening. The mistress would not like it if she found you here."_

_Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged worried glances with one another. Apparently, Tamaki's grandmother was in town. Could she have been behind all this? _

_"It's all right; he can stay," Yuzuru said as he walked down the stairs. "You're dismissed." The butler bowed and left the room to the father and son who were now measuring each other across the room._

_"Tamaki, please join me for tea in the sitting room," Yuzuru said as he turned. Tamaki followed him slowly._

_The twins changed the view to the sitting room. _

_"You must understand, son," Yuzuru was saying, "that I'm only doing this for your good. Yoshio would make Haruhi miserable by forcing her to marry his son! That Kyouya wouldn't love her!"_

_Tamaki stared at his father in shock before saying, "So you're saying you both decided this for us out of selfish reasons?" He paused before cutting off Yuzuru's protest. "You say this is for Haruhi, but I don't believe you. How can you force her to marry someone she doesn't love?" _

_Yuzuru's mouth dropped open as he gaped at Tamaki. "'Someone she doesn't love,'" he parroted dumbly. Shaking his head, he said, "Of course she loves you, you idiot son!" _

_Kaoru touched Hikaru's clenched fist softly, feeling worry spring in his heart as his brother's anger grew. Perhaps this wasn't the best conversation to eavesdrop on. _

_"What are you talking about, father?" Tamaki asked. "Haruhi has never shown that she loves me...or any of us! She's just...she's just...Haruhi, that's all!" The king was beginning to get flustered at the thought of Haruhi in love. _

_"You must be denser than I thought," Yuzuru mumbled before straightening up from his seated position. "You've got to be kidding, Tamaki. Didn't you dance with her the other night? Didn't you see how she looked at you? And wasn't she the one who stopped you from going with Eclair? How can you not think she loves you?"_

_Tamaki's eyes had widened throughout his father's diatribe. It wasn't the first time he'd noticed that his father knew more about what happened with him than he thought. However, this breach of his and the host club's privacy angered him more than any other. _

_Yuzuru continued, his voice softening, "Why would she go after you like that if she didn't love you? Son, I'm only trying to make you happy...to keep you from making the same mistakes I made."_

_"Enough," Tamaki's voice had deepened considerably on this word. "I can't do this right now. This isn't right," he said, voice shaking slightly. "I honestly don't know why Haruhi came after me, and I don't think she really knows either," he continued sadly. "But, let me ask you one question, Father." _

_Yuzuru inclined his head to show he was listening. _

_"Have you ever considered that Haruhi might not know how she feels towards either Kyouya or myself? Or any of the others, for that matter?" He asked, showing a strange maturity and wisdom, for once. "And, one more thing, Father. Have you ever considered that we might not know how we feel about her?"_

_As he stood to leave, Tamaki smiled sadly at Yuzuru. "I always dreamed of the day I'd see the inside of this mansion," he said. "I knew it would be incredible, much grander than the second Suou mansion. Now I'm glad Grandmother wishes me to stay there," he paused before saying, "because I don't have to put up with scheming people who care nothing for others over there."_

_He left Yuzuru quietly and made his way to the second mansion. The twins watched as the Suou head sat silently for a while before slowly lowering his head to his hands, his tea now growing cold._

_"Whoa," Kaoru mused aloud, "Milord seems to have grown up suddenly, eh, Hikaru?" _

_"What happened to the idiot lord?" Hikaru asked harshly. His voice alerted Kaoru, who now saw that Hikaru was angry. "Why does he suddenly have to make sense?" _

_Before Kaoru could decode Hikaru's cryptic comment, both twins heard the standard "Oh, Hikaru! Oh, Kaoru!" of their emails indicating they had received a new message. Kaoru let Hikaru check his inbox while he pondered his twin's sudden anger. _

_The email was from their Ootori contact. They had set this particular contact up with instructions to record everything that was said when they paged her to do so. It hadn't taken much to convince the little maid to agree; they'd simply turned on the charm momentarily. Though it had cost them one lunch, they both felt it was well worth it to have such information readily available. For an additional fee, she'd offered to place small tape recorders in strategic locations around the house and then transmit the recordings to them via email. This was one such recording. _

_Hikaru downloaded the file and hit play._

_"Father," Kyouya's extremely controlled voice filtered through the quiet, "might I have a word with you now?" _

_"I'm busy, Kyouya," the Ootori head replied. "Is it very important?" _

_"Extremely." _

_"Ah," they heard the sound of papers being shuffled, "this is about Fujioka Haruhi, is it not?" Apparently, Kyouya indicated the affirmative because he continued, "Well, it would be a wise investment, would it not?"_

_Kyouya's rapid breathing came over the line (he must have been seated next to the plant where the recorder was hidden), and he said, "What do you mean, a wise investment? To my knowledge you have never done a thing without first ensuring it would profit you. How does my marrying Haruhi bring you any kind of a profit?"_

_Yoshio replied in an offhand tone of voice, "Obviously, she is an intelligent student to have gained the only Ouran scholarship. She's enterprising as well, a commoner coming to such a prestigious academy. She must have great aspirations that could help our business grow."_

_Kyouya interrupted, his voice deadpan, but with an edge, "She wants to become a lawyer, Father. Not a businesswoman." _

_"Dreams change, Kyouya," Yoshio laughingly said. "And with a suitor such as yourself, what are the odds her dreams would change?" He quickly answered his own question, "Extremely likely." The man chuckled almost sinisterly. _

_"Don't count on it, Father," the low blood pressure demon lord said. "This is Fujioka Haruhi you're talking about, and you don't know her as well as I do. She has no aspirations of wealth and power like you do." He paused and continued, "Or like I do. It doesn't matter to her if she lives as a commoner for the rest of her life as long as she fulfills her dreams." _

_Yoshio spoke slowly, his words measured, "Then you'll have a tough time convincing her to marry you, won't you? But that's all right; I'm sure you'll manage." _

_"What's that supposed to mean?" _

_Yoshio answered, his voice cold, "You are the third in line to the company, Kyouya. Though you might have managed to buy me out on one business, you have not gotten your hands on the rest of my businesses. And you know as well as I that I am having no financial difficulties with those." A tense silence stole over the twins' bedroom as they waited for something to happen. "Besides, I know you well enough to know that you want it all. Consider this a challenge. If you can convince Haruhi to marry you, I'll feel more inclined to make you the heir." _

_"I knew you'd figure me out," Kyouya said tersely. "However, if you think I'll play your game, you'd better think again."_

_"Excuse me," Yoshio's booming voice carried loudly over the speakers. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Kyouya, but you do want to be the heir to this company, do you not?"_

_Kyouya's cold, calculating tone greeted the twins with its finality as he said, "Don't underestimate me yet, Father." _

_Yoshio's voice sounded like he had turned when he said, "I'll expect your answer by tomorrow. Don't forget, Kyouya, that this is also an opportunity for you to end your friendship with that pitiful Suou boy. I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you?" He chuckled before saying, "And you could prove your worth...that is, if you can win her from him. But perhaps that's too difficult a task even for you." _

_A short beep signaled the end of the recording. Hikaru closed the window before looking at his brother solemnly. The two were working to process all that they'd seen and heard. _

_"The stakes might be higher than we thought, Hikaru," Kaoru said thoughtfully. "It appears both Tamaki and Kyouya know what their fathers are doing."_

_"It also appears, dear brother," Hikaru added, "that Tamaki and Kyouya have their own means in this contest of wills. For once neither Tamaki nor Kyouya are at odds with one another."_

_"They're at odds with their fathers," they said together._

_"But," Kaoru sighed, "Milord is easy to sway, and Yuzuru-san holds a lot of sway over his son. As for Kyouya, he might end up agreeing to it just for his own entertainment." _

_Hikaru nodded and said, "So are we going to pursue Haruhi as well? Or do we let Milord and the shadow king duke it out?"_

_Kaoru looked thoughtful. "Well, she has been our toy all this time, so we must have some affection for her." He was lying through his teeth, hoping to draw out his brother's latent emotions. _

_"She's the first person to tell us apart," Hikaru added offhandedly. "And she doesn't seem to mind us picking on her...well, most of the time anyways." _

_"And," Kaoru prodded quickly, "we'd both be angry if Milord or Kyouya-senpai tried to take her away from us."_

_"Yeah!" Hikaru's agreement was instantly angry. "We can't let them do that to us. Haruhi is a part of our world; we can't let them take her away."_

_Kaoru sighed as he said, "Well, for now, let's say we'll do this. We'll both try to win Haruhi's heart." He waited for HIkaru to realize what that would mean for their delicate dynamic and brotherly love. _

_"Great," Hikaru exclaimed, clapping Kaoru on the back. He yawned loudly. "I'm exhausted, Kaoru. Let's go to bed so we can get up early and start our plan."_

_As they both put their pajamas on, Kaoru could only wonder if his brother was really as clueless as he looked. Hours later, watching him snore softly, Kaoru could only think that, yes, HIkaru was truly an idiot...but he loved him anyway._

"Is that the end of the chapter, Mommy?" Asai's big brown eyes looked up at Haruhi expectantly.

"Yes, sweetie, it is," Haruhi said. She yawned widely. "I told you we'd read one chapter, and then you two had to go to bed."

"But, Mommy," Kabuki interjected, "the story isn't over yet!"

The girls only used this argument when they were too tired to admit they were sleepy. Haruhi knew this and sighed, before standing to walk over to the massive dresser across the room.

"Lie down, you two," she called, reaching over the piles of clothes that lay haphazardly on the dresser's dusty surface. She found what she was reaching for and flipped a switch on the pink CD player. Instantly soft classical piano music filled the room.

The girls lay quietly in Asai's bed, watching Haruhi as she moved to the door.

Blowing them kisses, which they eagerly returned, Haruhi said, "Now, I want you to be asleep by the time the music stops, understand?" Nods were her only answer. "Good night, you two. I love you."

"Good night, Mommy," Asai begain.

"We love you," Kabuki finished.

Haruhi closed the door behind her and headed to the kitchen. She startled slightly when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her.

"I'm still sorry you had to find out what happened with all of us that night," the warm voice washed over her as her husband kissed the top of her head lightly. "It wasn't something any of us really wanted you to know." His lips had trailed down to her right ear, and she shivered softly.

"It was...was ok," she finished, breathing a little heavier than normal. Those lips were nibbling on her ear now. "I'm just glad I didn't know before the wedding." She moaned softly when the lips found a particularly sensitive spot on her earlobe.

"Mm...that's nice," he said, sucking on her neck now. "But it still wasn't fair to you." He trailed kisses to the juncture of her jaw and neck. Haruhi shuddered with the sensation.

"How am I supposed to hold a conversation with you when you're doing that?" She asked, laughing lightly, or at least trying to. Her eyes widened when a hand wandered from its position on her waist. "Oh!" Her voice was strained when he touched her there.

Her husband moved back slightly, hands on her shoulders to turn his wife towards him. "Is something wrong?" He asked, concern in his voice as he noticed her slight blush. "Are you in pain?"

Haruhi's eyes, which held a slightly glazed quality, turned darker for a moment before she stated to stutter an answer, halting when her stomach growled.

Now his eyes widened. "You're hungry?" He asked skeptically. Haruhi never ate after dinner unless it was dessert.

"Ah, um, yes," she stammered, "I am a little bit hungry. I think the fish might not have set well with me at dinner tonight. I was just going to get a little snack." He nodded, and she quickly continued, "You go ahead and go to bed. I'll be up in a little bit."

Obviously disconcerted by her request, he started to say something but then thought better of it. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he turned to go to their bedroom.

Haruhi relaxed and sighed deeply. "That was close," she said. Looking down her figure, she chided the errant body parts that betrayed her, "Don't do that again!" Then she went down to the kitchen for her snack.

...

**A/N: Hehe...I love making Haruhi jump. And making her nervous. It's just brilliant. I've had several suggestions and questions about her state of being in reviews, and I can only say that you all will probably find this a much clearer picture of what's going on with her. **

**I also wanted to point out that I love how many of you are enjoying this, and it is just great to get all your reviews. As far as the husband goes, I have to admit that I'd decided who I wanted to pair Haruhi with from the beginning, and I only hope I don't disappoint too many of you. There are just so many different preferences! I'll have to write another story after this with some of the other pairings to make up for disappointing some of you. **

**On that note, I only ask that you let me know if you'll be totally bummed out if I don't let Haruhi end up with the guy you would pick for her. I hope you all won't mind, and I don't want people to stop reading after I reveal the pairing; so I think it makes sense to ask if you find the story interesting enough to read regardless of who she ends up with. Anyway, that's really all I have to ask this time around! Thanks so much for reading, and keep coming around cause I'll keep writing!**

**-Rae-**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Guys, I'm really sorry about the delay on this chapter! It's been a trying week, to say the least. Haha. I'm gearing up for finals and just found out that I'll be losing my job at the end of May. So it's been crazy; add in the fact that I've shelled out big bucks in taxes and study abroad fees, and, well, I'm just plain tired! **

**I know my updating on this chapter is a lot later than normal, but I can promise you guys that the next chapter is tons longer (8 pages in Word!), so you have that to look forward to! Ah, and since we're on the topic, I'll go ahead and say that the hints are getting more and more blatant now that I've written chapter nine. Anyway, I'll stop this now and just say that I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or any of the characters! I don't get paid to write; I do it for pure entertainment purposes. Thank you! **

**Or So They Say: Chapter Seven**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

"We want you to read us more of that story, Mommy," an excited Asai claimed as she snuggled up to Tamaki on the couch.

"Yeah," Kabuki added from her spot in Kyouya's lap, "you have to read us that story!"

"We haven't finished it yet, and you promised," the two little devils said together.

"You might as well do what they say, Haruhi," Hikaru said slyly from his spot to her right on the couch.

"If you don't, things are liable to get ugly," Kaoru finished for his brother from Haruhi's left.

"Besides, we haven't heard you read in a long time," the twins sang, grinning like two cheshire cats.

"I still blame you two for teaching them that trick," Haruhi grumbled good-naturedly, looking from the twins to her daughters. Four sets of eyes had adopted a puppy-dog quality that made Haruhi sigh in defeat. "All right," she said, "but you two have to go get the book."

The girls cheered and took off, racing out of the room holding hands.

Looking around at the rest of the group, Haruhi muttered, "I just knew this was a bad idea."

Kyouya smirked at the former host and said, "Oh? I thought it was a rather good one myself."

The group of ex-hosts, minus Hunny and Mori, had gathered at Haruhi's house after she and her husband had taken the girls to see little Hinako. It was a loud meeting on the girls' part, both of them wanting to hold the baby girl and Haruhi having to referee when Chizuru expressed some discomfort with the idea.

Haruhi had thought the plan a flawless one; the girls would see their new cousin and get out of the house for a while and then go home to play quietly for the rest of the day. She didn't count on the rest of the host club being at the Morinozuka home. Nor did she count on Hunny encouraging them to visit her because "we never see each other anymore."

Sighing, she looked over at the faces of her friends and husband. It wasn't that she didn't want to see them; she just didn't want the girls to stay too excited for the rest of the day. Then again, she mused, that might tire them out enough to sleep.

"Haruhi," Tamaki interrupted her thoughts to say, "you're looking a bit peaked. Are you feeling all right?"

That simple sentence had the rest of the men on their guards. Haruhi quickly tried to cover it up by saying, "Oh, I'm fine. I just got a little hot running around with the girls at Mori's."

Before anyone else could say anything, Asai and Kabuki returned, toting the leather-bound journal with them. A wave of nostalgia washed over the group; Haruhi could see everyone drifting into his own thoughts about the past as she opened to the next chapter.

She nearly groaned when she remembered this was Kyouya's chapter.

The girls settled themselves with Kyouya and Tamaki again, looking over with adoring eyes to their mother. It seemed she would have no choice, Haruhi realized; she couldn't improvise Kyouya's chapter. The former shadow king, who was still as calculating as before, would no doubt remember his chapter and know if she changed anything.

Seeing nothing for it, she sighed and began to read once more.

_The first week of summer vacation passed with no movement from the host club members. The twins did not seek Haruhi out for some outrageous scheme. Tamaki did not call Kyouya demanding to know where his daughter was. Kyouya busied himself in his work. Hunny and Mori did what they did best._

Haruhi nearly winced at the sterile tone Kyouya used in his writing. She should have expected that from the son of a pharmaceuticals and medical business magnate, but somehow he'd surprised her with his clean writing. Of course, she'd given herself away as she'd read it aloud the first time, and the shadow king interrupted her, saying there was no benefit to flowery writing when it was a mere host club journal. Kyouya would always be Kyouya, she thought as she continued reading.

_Haruhi, for her part, stayed at home with her father, trying not to think about the letters he kept receiving from the two businessmen. She was frustrated with her lack of information and didn't want to see anyone from the host club. By the end of the week, she'd found a solution to her problems._

_Misuzu-san called Ranka-san requesting Haruhi to come work in Karuizawa for another summer. Ranka-san tried to defer, but Haruhi had listened in on the conversation and immediately agreed. She left for Misuzu-san's bed and breakfast the next morning, opting to not tell the host club but knowing her father would._

_"Kyouya!" Tamaki's strident voice came over the phone early the following Friday. "Where is she?! Where is my Haruhi?" He asked frantically. "Did you steal her away for yourself, you horrible, horrible mother?!"_

_"Shut. Up." Kyouya did not like being awakened early. "She's in Karuizawa with Misuzu-san again, you idiot." _

_With that, Tamaki hung up the phone, and Kyouya decided to get up. It looked like he would have to alert his butler in Karuizawa that he would be staying there for a while. Tamaki arrived within the hour, two boisterous twins and the martial arts cousins in tow._

_"Come on," Kyouya told them. "We'll be late for our flight." And they were off. _

_Haruhi had settled into her life in Karuizawa on her second day. It was the same work as before, and Misuzu-san continually told her how "refreshing" she was, praising her work constantly. The female host wanted to avoid her fellow hosts but knew it was unlikely, so she began to request afternoons off at random. She was determined to make the most of her summer, and she did that by hanging out with Arai-kun, her old classmate. _

_For his part, Arai-kun had no idea about the situation Haruhi was in, and he also had no romantic feelings for his old friend, having gotten a girlfriend of his own. He only knew that Haruhi wanted to hang out with her old friend, and he enjoyed her company, showing her around the town in the way only a local can. The two had fun in one another's company until the host club arrived. _

_"Haruhi, are you okay?" The worried Tamaki said the Friday night they arrived. "How have you been, my wonderful daughter?" He appeared to be no different than normal, Kyouya observed. "Are you enjoying your stay in Karuizawa?" _

_She had just returned from an evening with Arai-kun and apparently had more patience because of it because she simply smiled and said, "I'm fine, and I am having fun here. Misuzu-san is a good employer." _

_Hikaru and Kaoru immediately saw an opening and slipped in between Tamaki and Haruhi. The twins put their arms around the girl, watching Tamaki steam as they steered her into the bed and breakfast lobby, chatting all the while. _

_Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai followed the two misfits into the room, Bun-bun trailing from Hunny's hand. Once the two seniors were out of sight, Tamaki looked at Kyouya._

_"I know you've talked to your father about this," he said seriously. "What are you going to do?" _

_Kyouya demurred, "I have, and I'm sure you've spoken with Yuzuru-san as well. It is unfortunate that our fathers wish us to fight against one another, isn't it?" _

_Tamaki's fists clenched as he said, "You're avoiding the question, Kyouya. What are you going to do about Haruhi?" _

_"Hmm..." Kyouya stalled a moment before saying, "Are you willing to fight me for her, Tamaki?" _

_The king looked taken aback at that question. His mouth opened and shut for a moment before he seemed to pull himself together. "My father," he began, "does not understand why I look down upon his...request. However, he did make some interesting points." _

_"Such as?"_

_"In the end," Tamaki said simply, "it's all up to Haruhi, isn't it?" _

_Kyouya considered this, not wanting to show his hand yet, and replied, "Yes, I suppose it is." _

_"Well, then," a snarky Tamaki said, "I suppose a little friendly competition never hurt anyone." He grinned at his friend before sticking out his hand. "May the best man win?" _

_Kyouya was surprised but didn't show it as he reached out to take his friend's hand._

_"Milord...Kyouya...," twin voices caused Kyouya to pause. Hikaru and Kaoru sauntered out of the shadows of the doorway, looking smugly at their senpais. _

_"We'd like to propose a game," Hikaru began, trying and failing to look innocent. _

_"It's called the 'Who Can Win Haruhi Game'," Kaoru finished. "You two might be forced into trying to win her hand, but we aren't. And..."_

_"We're in her class," Hikaru finished for his brother. "So we have the advantage over the two of you." _

_Kaoru grinned devilishly at his friends as he said, "So, what do you say? Even if you don't want to play, we're still going to compete with you guys." _

_Tamaki and Kyouya exchanged glances and then looked back to the twins. Each boy had a calculating look on his face, and the tension was slowly rising among them. _

_"Fine," Tamaki said. "We'll play. But don't think we'll just lie down and let you two win." _

_Kyouya smirked at that. "Yes," he interjected, "we both have our own charms, you know. And Haruhi has been in your class for a year; shouldn't she already feel something for you after having known you that long?" The barb struck home as the twins exchanged uneasy glances. "But I'm sure you'll do your best." His veiled tone promised he would do the same. _

_"So," Tamaki finished, "we're agreeing to a little friendly competition, yes?" The other three nodded. "And in the end," he continued, "it's Haruhi's decision?" Again, they nodded. "Well, I guess that settles it. May the best man win." _

_Glancing around him, Kyouya wasn't sure who would be the best man, but he knew they had all agreed to compete for the title. And now the group's dynamic had shifted again, this time opening a slight fissure that Kyouya knew could only widen as time passed._

_After the group returned to the lobby to visit with Haruhi, the conversation became laden with double meanings that Haruhi could not discern. However, that night, Hunny-senpai called the group, sans Haruhi, to his Karuizawa summer home, for a conference. _

_Hunny and Mori quickly ascertained the nature of the change in tones among the four hosts. The two seniors were concerned for Haruhi and told Kyouya, Tamaki, and the twins in no uncertain terms that they were not to attempt to woo Haruhi during the vacation. Mori looked more menacing than usual as he and Hunny-senpai staked their claim on this summer vacation and on Haruhi's peace and quiet. She needed time to get over the shock, Hunny-senpai explained. _

_The hosts agreed, albeit reluctantly, to put their wooing Haruhi plans on hold over the summer. It would be more difficult to romance her during school, especially since she would be dressing as a male once more, but each boy, in his own way, looked forward to the challenge. _

_Due to Hunny and Mori's intervention, the summer in Karuizawa passed quickly and peacefully. Haruhi knew, however, that the tension in the air would not decrease when summer ended. In fact, both Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai took her aside to explain a little bit about the potential romances she would have to endure once she returned to school. _

_It wasn't until right before the first week of school that Haruhi saw how right Hunny and Mori were. _

_"Haruhi," Kyouya said when she opened the door to her apartment, "would you mind coming with me for a moment?" He hadn't even given her time to properly greet him yet. _

_Knowing she would have to face her demons...or her low blood pressure demon lord...sometime, Haruhi consented and quickly locked the door behind her. Kyouya led her to his limo where they sat as the chauffeur drove aimlessly, following his master's previous orders. _

_"Where are we going, Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi asked. When he didn't answer, she said, "You wanted to speak to me?" _

_Kyouya gave her a level look before saying, "Haruhi, do you know how much debt you owe to the club?" _

_She stared at him, realization pouring over her face as she replied, "You're willing to reduce my debt if I agree to date you, right?" _

_"Ah, Haruhi, there is a reason you were given the Ouran scholarship," Kyouya chuckled. "You are right. I'd be willing to reduce your debt by a certain percentage for each date you agree to go on with me." _

_Haruhi stilled at that. "What's the catch?" She warily asked._

_Kyouya smirked as he replied, "I had thought of threatening to increase your debt for every date you went on with any of those other fools, but knowing Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai, they would probably be angry if I pulled something like that." Haruhi looked puzzled by this but let it go when Kyouya continued. "For now, we'll say there is no catch. You simply agree to date me, and I'll agree to reduce your debt. You can stop dating me at any time." _

_Haruhi sat debating her alternatives. It wasn't likely that Kyouya would reduce her debt anytime soon without her agreement to this dating scheme. Nor was it likely that she'd enjoy dating Kyouya. However, she mused, dating Kyouya couldn't be as bad as it sounded. _

_"Kyouya-senpai," she began, "I know the others will be asking me out. Hunny-senpai told me about the twin's game." She grimaced before continuing, "I don't know that I want to date someone simply to reduce my debt, though. I mean, I don't have to accept the others' proposals, do I? So I'm not sure that I want to agree to this." _

_Kyouya was taken aback by her response. He'd been sure that she would jump at the chance to reduce her debt. In fact, all his calculations told him she had a 97.8 percent chance of agreeing. This was a strange answer._

_"Of course," he quickly said, "I understand your hesitation. We'll call it an open offer, shall we? If you want to take me up on it, please let me know." _

_As the shadow king let Haruhi off at her apartment, he wondered if he should just proceed to Plan B or wait to see what the others had come up with. Knowing they wouldn't wait much longer, he decided to sit back and watch their progress or non-progress with the vexing hostess._

_It wasn't long before Kyouya heard of his friends' failures. He had smirked upon hearing that Tamaki tried to convince Haruhi to attend one of his "commoner research trips" to the nearby water park. He vaguely considered reminding his friend of Haruhi's aversion to "fake" water retreats but decided all was fair in love and the twin's game. _

_As for the twins, Kyouya had chuckled when he heard they had gone to her together to go on a strange double date. Apparently Hikaru and Kaoru tried to convince Haruhi to go to dinner with them because she was in their class and they needed to get to know her better before the semester started. Haruhi was unimpressed with their circular reasoning and quickly pointed out holes in their arguments. The twins caved under the pressure and demanded she come be their toy for the day; Haruhi responded by shutting the door in their faces. _

_The following week saw the grand opening of another year at Ouran Academy. Kyouya entered the school almost lazily and gazed up at the large clock tower, glasses gleaming. 'Now the fun really begins,' he thought as students milled around him and began to fill up the large school's classrooms. _

Haruhi shut the book and looked around the room. Her daughters looked slightly uninterested. Perhaps it was the long chapter, she thought. The former hosts, on the other hand, had varying expressions on their faces.

"I probably could have written that with a little more detail," Kyouya admitted after Kabuki and Asai moved off to play in one corner of the large sitting room. "Though I still say Tamaki's addition was unnecessary."

The twins snickered. "'Her low blood pressure demon lord'..." they quoted, smirking at Tamaki.

"It was funny at the time," the king defended himself. "Except when Kyouya read what I wrote," he almost whispered.

Haruhi and the twins shuddered mockingly as Kyouya turned his trademark frosty glare on them. "It was not funny," he said. Then he snickered. "It was not funny then," he added, "but it might be just a little funny now."

The ice melted from his frosty glare, and the group had a good laugh at Kyouya's sake before the twins turned the conversation to Tamaki's failings. When Haruhi pointed out the twin's own problems, the group continued to laugh and reminisce for a few hours.

Finally the friends realized it was closing on dinner time, and they all realized there were a few spouses waiting for their husbands to come home. Haruhi and her husband walked their friends to the door, promising to come visit soon. After closing the door, the two looked at one another and began to laugh.

"I thought we agreed not to have them over for a while," Haruhi said, holding her sides. "They always do this."

Her husband, chuckling quietly, said, "But that's why we love them. They leave us in stitches every time!"

Haruhi agreed, saying, "We really should have them over more often." Then realizing how she'd contradicted herself, she laughed, her husband only too happy to join her in their exhausted laughter as they made their way to the dinner table.

It was a happy affair that even the girls enjoyed, though Asai made her dislike for certain foods well known around the table. Haruhi could only speculate that perhaps it would be a while before they finished the book, but at least they knew the ending: Haruhi got the 'best man' and kept her friendships intact. And that, more than anything else, was the best part to the whole story.

...

**A/N: There you go, the seventh chapter! I want to continue to thank everyone who's reviewed, alerted, and favorited my story! You all make me very happy, and I'm so pleased to hear that you're enjoying the story! I also want to thank those of you who commented on my previous author's note; I'm glad that you all feel strongly enough about the story to continue reading despite my pairing. That's very encouraging. **

**Like I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, I've already got the ninth chapter written out, and I'm pretty sure it's got enough hints on the husband to have you all crowing with excitement. As for rumors of Haruhi's pregnancy, well, let's just say it becomes more apparent in the next chapter. I promise that everything is spelled out in black and white in the ninth chapter, though! Anyway, I thank you all for reading and hope you enjoyed it! No fancy questions for you all this time, but please do tell me what you liked and disliked! I love hearing from you guys! Thanks again! **

**-Rae-**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hi guys! It's me again with another installment of 'Or So They Say.' We're finally getting into more interesting parts of the story, and I realize the last chapter seemed like a filler; however, it was necessary to get to this point. Now, I have to admit that I'm not going into any date details until later in the story, but I hope this will suffice your desires for some HaruhixHosts action. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or make money off my stories! (This should be obvious by now.) I write for entertainment purposes only! Thanks! **

**Or So They Say: Chapter Eight**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

Haruhi couldn't sleep. She knew sleeping on her stomach was out of the question. Her side didn't work either. And her back just couldn't cut it. She glanced over to her husband. Sound asleep.

Moving as quietly as possible, she snuck from under the covers and slipped into her slippers. Tiptoeing across the room, she turned the knob and crept out of the room, closing the door softly.

Haruhi sighed once she'd left the confines of the quiet room. She didn't want to disturb her husband since he had a long day at work tomorrow. She knew it wouldn't be a problem for her to take a day off work, especially since he didn't like her taking cases with the girls around anyway. She'd only taken on those cases that seemed most important to her ever since her daughters had come into their lives.

Now, she had one case in the works, and Haruhi knew it was just a matter of time before she found the right argument to get her client the treatment he deserved. However, tomorrow was not going to be the day she found that argument. Since she didn't have to be in court for a while, she wasn't too worried about it. Hopefully he would take her advice and go for arbitration in the long run anyways. It would certainly be cheaper.

By this time, Haruhi had made her way down to the kitchen where she snagged a banana off the fruit stand. Her husband had fancied the idea of having a fruit stand where the girls could easily pick out something healthy and delicious to eat as a snack. It was a fruitless endeavor, Haruhi mused to herself, chuckling at her unintended pun, since the girls rarely went to the kitchen for their snacks. Luckily, she had instructed the cook not to give them too many unhealthy items to eat.

Moving to the refrigerator, Haruhi searched through the industrial-sized monstrosity, pushing boxes and meats here and there as she tried to find what she was looking for. She knew she'd asked the cook to put it on his next order. Where was it? Finally, she found it.

A large carton of pomegranate juice, unsweetened and organic, met her reaching fingers. Haruhi grinned triumphantly. Pulling the prized possession out, she pulled the glass over that she'd retrieved from the cabinet. She poured herself a generous helping of the treat and returned the carton to its hiding place. Fancy that cook putting it behind the large orange box. Her husband hated those; never would he think to move the box from its position on the refrigerator shelf. Haruhi made a mental note to congratulate the cook on his ingenious hiding spot.

With banana and pomegranate juice in hand, she made her way up to the music room. Opening the door, she breathed deeply of the floral scent that wafted through the doorway. Carnations were the flower of choice this week, she noted. Walking over to a bookshelf, she plucked the old journal off its position and then went to the lone couch next to the window.

She curled up on the couch with the book in her lap, flipping on the lamp on the corner table as she did so. Haruhi flipped to the next chapter, one she'd read the twins earlier in the evening, and peeled her banana, taking a large bite as she did so.

Remembering Tamaki's fuss when she'd proposed writing the next chapter, Haruhi had to laugh. The twins had finished their chapter with a flourish, their angled handwriting looking slightly crooked against the straight lines of the journal. Even their handwriting gave away their mischievousness, Haruhi thought.

She took a sip of the pomegranate juice, testing its flavor on her tongue. When she couldn't control the pucker of her lips at the sour taste, Haruhi smiled. This was perfect. She took a bigger drink. Just right.

Flipping to the next chapter, she remembered the fight she'd had with Tamaki. It hadn't been that big of a deal, really, but he'd insisted that she couldn't write what happened next in the story. He demanded she allow him to do it instead. Haruhi didn't want to put up with another kingly fairy tale again and insisted that he allow her to write it. Tamaki refused.

The twins had gotten in on the fight eventually, both of them taking Haruhi's side. However, Tamaki amazingly had the last word on this fight. It surprised all of them, but he argued that he would not revert to dramatizations of the past as long as they allowed him to write it. His main argument was simple: he wanted the last and best chapter to be written by Haruhi. The twins, for once, saw no problem with his arguments, and Haruhi was forced to relent.

Reading his chapter now, she was glad that she had. Tamaki had shown a surprising intelligence, not that he was ever stupid, for someone who usually seemed so obsessed with his fantasies. Haruhi put aside the banana peel and readjusted her position on the couch to be more comfortable and then read once more.

_The new school year brought many changes to the host club. With Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai gone to college, the club seemed a little dead. The family had lost two of its members, and even the beautiful young ladies who wanted to enjoy their time with the young men were saddened by the loss. _

_Fearing they would be forgotten, Hunny-senpai had convinced Mori-senpai to schedule their university classes around the host club hours. The cousins were not able to come every day, but they did visit once a week or more. That cheered the girls; many Mori fans came out in droves on days he planned to attend. Sales of the graduated hosts' items increased as their availability declined. Kyouya was quite pleased with the results._

_However, for their part, the family was somewhat fractured. It didn't help that the hosts, minus one hostess, had been using their summers to plan romances with one very special lady. Nor did it help that said lady wasn't interested in any of them. _

_"Ha-ru-hi," the twins chorused innocently one morning, "we're having a group project!" _

_"We get to pair up...," Hikaru said. _

_Kaoru finished, "And we want you to pair with us!" _

_Before the female host could reply, the teacher explained that the project was one that required only two people to a group. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged uneasy glances. This certainly put a damper on their evil desires. Ahem, their project plans. _

_Haruhi looked at the remaining individuals who had not found partners. Only the twins and a girl who constantly designated Haruhi in the host club were left. Watching as the twins subtly positioned themselves to try to get her attention, Haruhi knew it would be better not to choose. Choosing would be cruel to both of them. _

_"Akane-san," the 'male' Fujioka began, "would you like to be my partner for this project?" The girl nearly swooned in her excitement as she instantly agreed. _

_The twins pouted for a while until Kaoru pointed out that Haruhi could have chosen between them. Whomever she didn't choose, he said, would have felt lonely without the other two around. Hikaru immediately saw the logic in this and decided Haruhi perhaps knew what she was doing. _

_Nevertheless, Hikaru couldn't help feeling upset that Haruhi didn't choose between him and his brother. He couldn't know that Kaoru was feeling the same way, though Kaoru knew it would be hard once she did choose. _

_As the twins tried unsuccessfully to woo Haruhi in her classes, Tamaki tried to woo her in the host club; continuing to call her his "precious daughter," he presented her flowers every day. Haruhi thanked him and declined in most circumstances, but she always ended up taking at least one rose home each day. Tamaki was cheered by that thought but also puzzled by the feelings he was now struggling to overcome. _

_For his part, Kyouya seemed oblivious to his friends-turned-rivals' efforts. The vice-president had spent most of his time on his laptop, especially during club hours. While that was not unusual, Kyouya had also developed a more devious expression as he worked, one that reminded them eerily of Hunny-senpai upon waking...or even more eerily of Tamaki's grandmother. _

_Tamaki tried to engage his best friend in conversation but was always shooed away by a busy Kyouya. Afraid he might cause him to pursue Haruhi with his prodding and feeling ashamed for thinking that way, Tamaki went to his corner to brood over the thoughts pouring through his head. It wasn't normal, he knew, to be worried about one's mother taking one's daughter out for a shopping adventure or dinner or something like that. _

_However, Tamaki also began to recognize that there was no way he could continue to call Kyouya "Mother" anymore. Because of the letter, their roles had changed drastically. Because their fathers had turned them into rivals, they wouldn't be able to maintain the charade much longer. Tamaki was naive, but he wasn't stupid. He knew the letter had changed their circumstances, but he couldn't give up the carefully constructed family settings he'd forged...at least, not easily. _

_Therefore he continued to pester Kyouya, stopping when he knew Kyouya was becoming angry. And he still called him "Mother," for a little while anyways. Haruhi, he found, was harder to ignore as he felt it slowly becoming strange to call her his daughter. However he tried his best to ignore the unease in his gut when he watched her interact with the twins or Kyouya. He worked to sort out his unusual emotions as he did so, but nothing seemed to click in his head or in his heart. _

_It wasn't until one day, about a month into the semester, that Tamaki began to recognize his feelings for what they were. It was almost too late by the time he fully understood them, but somehow he managed to figure it out. However, the author is getting ahead of himself and should back it up a bit. _

_On that particular day, the girls had been enjoying having the whole host club dressed as ancient Romans in togas and other items. When the club finally closed for the day, the group took a moment to recoup from the excited fan girls. They were getting wilder, Tamaki decided; perhaps the club should rethink their host club rules and distribute a new rulebook to their patrons. _

_"Ah," a delighted Kyouya said, breaking into Tamaki's musings, "it's finally finished." He closed his laptop carefully and turned to the group now staring at him. _

_The shadow king stood slowly and gracefully, crossing the room in an unhurried pace to reach...Haruhi? Standing before her, he put a hand in his pocket as she looked up into his gaze curiously. _

_"Senpai..." she began but didn't finish. _

_"I'd like you to have this," Kyouya interrupted, pulling out a beautiful jeweler's box with added flourish. "I thought you would appreciate it." Opening the box, he revealed a necklace. _

_Haruhi gasped. Haltingly she said, "Th-that's my m-mother's necklace! Where did you get it?" _

_By that time, the rest of the group gathered around them, staring at the couple. _

_"It's not very expensive, is it?" Hikaru pointed out lamely. "It's only got a sterling silver chain? That's nothing." _

_Kaoru shushed his brother. "Apparently, Hikaru," he said, "it means something to our Haruhi." Three pairs of eyes looked at the boy when he said the word 'our' then shifted back to the unsuspecting Haruhi. _

_Carefully extracting the necklace from its velvet bed, Kyouya offered to put it on Haruhi. She eagerly turned her back to him, waiting for him to clasp the heirloom round her neck. He did so, smirking at the outraged looks on Tamaki's and Hikaru's faces and taking a moment to run his fingers through her soft hair. _

_As she turned around, the boys looked at the necklace now lying on top of her tie. The chain was indeed made of sterling silver, but the strange stone that adorned the pendant shone alternately blue and black depending on the light. Haruhi's eyes fixed on the pendant as her fingers reached up to hold it tentatively. _

_"It's a rare type of opal," she said quietly. "My mother's birthstone; my grandmother gave it to her." _

_Tamaki and the others, sans Mori and Kyouya, were all staring with rapt attention as the girl told her story. _

_"Dad had to sell it after she died," she continued. "He had it pawned to pay for all the funeral expenses. It was the only thing besides her wedding ring that had any real value, and he couldn't bring himself to sell her wedding ring." _

_Ending her story, Haruhi looked up into the face of the now smug-looking Kyouya. "How did you know about this necklace, Kyouya-senpai?" She asked. "Better yet, how did you find it?" Her voice carried a bit of awe that was making three others see various shades of green. _

_"I spoke to Ranka-san about it one time and dismissed it," he said offhandedly. "When I remembered how much he said it meant to you, I immediately began searching for it. It was only a matter of time before I found and purchased it." _

_Her eyes filled with warmth, Haruhi said, "Thank you, senpai. Thank you very much!" _

_Before she could go back to admiring her ring, Kyouya handed her the now closed jeweler's box. Gesturing to it and winking at her, he said, "You'll want to see where I got it later." Haruhi apparently understood the signal because she nodded, leaving the others to wonder what he was talking about. _

_Two days later, Kyouya announced that the host club would be closing early due to technical difficulties. The girls were sad but promised to come again tomorrow. The host club members were confused until Kyouya walked over to a calm Haruhi and offered her his arm. _

_"I apologize for the suddenness," he began, smirking as she tentatively took hold of him, "but I'm afraid Haruhi and I have a date. We have to get ready now, but we'll see you all tomorrow." _

_Before the others could say a word, Kyouya escorted Haruhi to the door. The twins were absolutely livid, and Tamaki was angry as well; however, he had noticed something in Haruhi's expression that made him pause. She was going with Kyouya willingly and had almost seemed like she anticipated what the evening would bring. Tamaki decided to think about that later because the twins were now trying to convince him to go after the two. _

_Even so, the twins' vast network couldn't uncover Kyouya's plan that night. Tamaki went home to think about all the things he'd learned, but Hikaru and Kaoru began making their own plots. No one but Haruhi and Kyouya knew what Kyouya had done on their date, but everyone saw she was happy when she came back the following Monday. It was a sharp blow to the three boys who were competing because they knew Kyouya would be an impeccable and incredible date. _

_It was no surprise to the shadow king, then, when the following Friday Haruhi announced that she had to leave early to catch a flight. None of the host club members knew where she was going except for one, but his acting skills had been proven time and time again; he knew no one would figure out that he had asked her out. After she left, Kyouya immediately began searching flights as pandemonium broke out amongst the host club members. Their patrons had to be dismissed early with the promise of an extra-long host club session the following Monday. _

_After the members left for the day, it took Kyouya only a matter of hours to determine which flight Haruhi had taken. She was on her way to Karuizawa by the time he found her ticket number. Thinking for a moment, Kyouya came up with all the possible reasons Haruhi would have for going to the refreshing retreat. He immediately dismissed the idea that Misuzu-san had asked her to come, having kept up to date with the affairs of the inn through their bi-weekly emails. Ranka-san hadn't mentioned an upcoming trip the last time they'd talked, so it must be something Haruhi was hiding. _

_Kyouya then decided to look into the behaviors of the various host club members. He ruled out Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai because they were not trying to woo Haruhi in the first place, and they would not intervene unless they saw that Haruhi needed help. Tamaki was obviously oblivious, Kyouya knew, because he continued to call and ask where his precious daughter had gone. _

_So it was down to the twins. However, Kyouya couldn't quite put his finger on what was bothering him. Then it hit him. Hikaru had looked completely dumbfounded by Haruhi's announcement. Apparently, Kaoru was serious when he'd proposed this game. Kyouya's smirk grew a little wider upon realizing his junior was craftier than he'd expected._

_The following Monday saw Haruhi back in the host club entertaining girls. The twins were surprisingly passive around her, both of them hiding something. Tamaki was worried because he could tell the twins had done something. It didn't help the king to know that Haruhi would still not tell them what had happened to her over the weekend. He began to consider that the twins might already know what had happened. _

_Finally, after everyone had gone home, the host club members were lounging in their respective places around the room. Haruhi was smiling and laughing while talking to Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. The twins were watching her from a table and snickering to each other. Kyouya was busy working on his laptop. And Tamaki? The king simply couldn't handle the frustration anymore. _

_"Haruhi," he demanded, "you have to tell Daddy what you did this weekend right now!" _

_The girl looked up at him languidly. She opened her mouth and closed it quickly, looking to Tamaki's left. His fists clenched. _

_Tamaki began again, "Did you get into some sort of trouble? Are you in debt to someone worse than our demon lord?" He heard a vague growl from his right as he said that. "Have you fallen into some horrible fiend's plot to sully your innocent purity?!" His voice was nearly cracking as he said all this. _

_"Calm down, senpai," Haruhi said quickly. "I just went on a date...well, two dates, actually. That's all." _

_Tamaki looked dumbstruck at this declaration. "A-a date, Haruhi?" He asked, the color draining from his face. For once, the king did not immediately demand to know details that could send him to the culprit of such a cruel crime against his daughter. _

_"Yes, senpai." Haruhi explained, "Kaoru mentioned to me that he never got to take me on that date in Karuizawa over the summer, and he asked if I would consider going with him. I agreed, and we went to Karuizawa to visit Misuzu-san." She paused thoughtfully and then continued, "We were going to stay with Misuzu-san for the weekend, but...Kaoru seemed upset about leaving Hikaru at home. So we came back, and Kaoru got into a fight with HIkaru about me. They were throwing things and yelling at one another when I finally had to intervene. Of course, I probably should have realized the fight was fake..." _

_Tamaki, Kyouya, Hunny, and Mori all turned as one to look at the twins now holding one another on the sofa. The boys flashed peace signs and their trademark Cheshire cat grins. _

_"Anyway," Haruhi was saying, "they told me they wouldn't apologize to one another unless I agreed to go out with Hikaru, too. I didn't have much of a choice with Hikaru practically strangling Kaoru. So I said I'd go with him." _

_Tamaki turned towards Haruhi slowly and said, "Haruhi? You do realize that was all a plot to get you to go out with them, don't you?" _

_"Hmm..." Haruhi said, looking at Tamaki strangely, "You don't usually catch onto these things, Tamaki-senpai. What's changed? But, yes, I realized it after I agreed to go out with Hikaru." _

_"Did you have fun, Haru-chan?" Hunny-senpai's childish voice broke the tense silence. _

_Taking a moment to consider that question, Haruhi said, "Yes, I did have fun, Hunny-senpai. It was..." she thought of the right word before saying, "different." _

_With that, Haruhi picked up her bag and left, saying she needed to get home to prepare dinner. The rest of the club was left to stare at one another in shock. No one was quite sure how to interpret Haruhi's words, but they were all wondering if she might have fallen for one of the twins. _

_As it happened, Tamaki finally decided to step up his own game. Years of good breeding had taught him that the best way to convince the daughter to date a man was to go through her father. He shuddered at the thought when he found himself outside of the Fujioka apartment that Thursday evening. Just the thought of facing Ranka-san was enough to terrify Tamaki, but, as he readjusted his tie and clenched the vase in his hands, Tamaki took a deep breath and knocked on the door before he could chicken out. _

_"Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi's confused voice greeted him. "What are you doing here tonight?" She opened the door a little wider so he could come in._

_Ranka-san was sitting at the dinner table, looking at the nervous boy interestedly. Tamaki felt the blood drain slowly from his face and then took another deep breath. _

_"My dear Haruhi," he began, holding out the vase with the red roses in it, "I wanted to bring you these roses to celebrate your time in the host club." He paused, mentally berating himself for not saying what he'd come to say. "And," he added, looking hopefully at Ranka-san, "I wanted to speak with your father for a moment." _

_Ranka-san's eyes narrowed at that. Tamaki knew his father and the Ootori head had been communicating frequently with the okama. He also knew that Kyouya kept Ranka-san informed on everything Haruhi-related. It wasn't surprising to him when Ranka-san asked Haruhi to leave them for a while, but as he sat on the floor across from the father of his lovely Haruhi, Tamaki could only gulp. Ranka looked very serious._

_"Tamaki-kun," Ranka began, "you've come to ask me something, I presume?" _

_"Yes, Fujioka-san," Tamaki said, years of training coming to the fore, "I do have a request of you." Bowing low, he continued, "I would like to ask your permission to take Haruhi on a date." _

_Silence filled the air for a long moment as Tamaki mentally reviewed what he'd just said. Ranka finally broke out into laughter, and the king began wondering what he'd said wrong. He could find nothing, so he eventually lifted his head to look into mirth-filled eyes. _

_"You looked so scared, you idiotic king," Ranka was saying, "especially when I didn't say anything! And you only asked to take her on one date! What kind of a formal request is that?! You should have at least asked my permission to court her or something!" _

_Tamaki cleared his throat nervously and said, "I could not ask permission to court Haruhi, Fujioka-san, because I have not discussed that with her yet. As such, and knowing the circumstances she is currently in, I decided to ask for your permission to take her on a date." _

_Ranka-san's laughter was dying off, as he looked surprised at the boy in front of him. It had never occurred to Ranka that Tamaki would apply his serious side to something other than speaking like a father. This was something Ranka hadn't expected, but it was also something he wasn't entirely opposed to. _

_Glancing over to the kitchen counters, his eyes landed on a pile of mail, and Ranka-san sighed. He had known this would happen eventually, but he'd wanted to take more time to consider it. Seeing the serious and still apprehensive host club king before him, Ranka knew he'd simply have to endure it and see what the outcome would be. _

_"You'll have to convince her to go out with you, Tamaki-kun," Ranka-san finally said. "I certainly won't help you with that." _

_Tamaki's eyes lit up excitedly as he exclaimed, "Really, Ranka-san?! Are your sure you don't mind?" His puppy dog eyes stared hopefully at the now quiet okama. _

_Ranka indicated his acceptance with a nod. Tamaki leapt up happily, as he fought the urge to hug the okama. _

_And that was how, two nights later, Tamaki found himself on a date with Haruhi. He didn't realize she'd only accepted out of pity for him. He was, after all, she told herself, the last one to ask her out._

...

**A/N: And there you have it! Haruhi has now officially been on dates with all four of our lovable hosts. Granted, I didn't go into detail, but I'm sure you all can come up with interesting ideas for yourselves! I'd love to hear what you thought about how I managed to maneuver Haruhi into the dates... and which way you preferred the most. **

**By the way, I wanted to point out that Kyouya was using "Plan B" as I mentioned in a previous chapter. Kaoru, as the twin Haruhi actually finds kinder, was easily able to convince her using his kindness and the fact he hadn't gone on the date he'd promised her. Hikaru, well, you can figure that one out rather easily, I think. And, of course, there's poor Tamaki at the end. Haha...you all should let me know what you thought, cause I had a tough time maneuvering Haruhi! She can be rather stubborn when she wants to be! Anyway, thanks for the reviews so far and for reading! Let me know what you liked and disliked! (Ah, and I hope you enjoyed the fact this chapter is the longest so far!) Thanks again, guys! **

**-Rae-**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, we've arrived at the ninth chapter. As I promised, we'll begin to see the conflict Haruhi deals with as she faces the hosts; however, I can't promise anything really interesting until the next chapter. Though, I will admit to allowing her husband to finally see things clearly in this chapter, and I'm sure you all will be pleased! **

**On another note, I wanted to mention that I'll be bringing in some of our favorite side characters in upcoming chapters. To make things easier on you all, let me go ahead and explain in the beginning of the chapters who the featured characters are. I'll just put in their names, nicknames, and brief descriptions in case you might have forgotten them. **

**In chapter nine, we meet up with...**

**Kasanoda Ritsu: also known as Bossa Nova and Cassanova, the son of a Yakuza family who has a very terrifying appearance but has fallen for Haruhi**

**Tetsuya: I could look up his full name but don't really feel like it; suffice it to say, he is Kasanoda's most loyal follower and surprisingly enough a son of another Yakuza family who has abandoned his own family due to their cruel practices**

**After that long note, I'll encourage you to please enjoy yourselves as you read this next chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing owned, nothing earned. Entertainment purposes only. Thanks!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Nine**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

The clock chiming the hour startled Haruhi from her reading. 1 a.m. It was late, but Haruhi wanted to continue reading the story. Thinking for a moment, she wondered if her husband would wake and find her gone, but she dismissed the idea, remembering what a sound sleeper he was.

Looking at the end of the previous chapter, Haruhi remembered her joy at the dates she'd gone on with the members of the host club in that month of school. She could still remember Hikaru's fight with Kaoru and Tamaki's timid request for a date. Kyouya's own date had simply surprised her more than she'd ever admit to anyone.

Smiling at the memories, she turned the page but looked up in some shock when she heard the door open.

"I thought I might find you in here," his voice floated across the music room as he walked in wearing a robe and his house shoes.

"Ah," Haruhi began, "I couldn't sleep very well, so I thought I'd come in here and read for a bit."

She glanced nervously to the table beside her and tried in vain to catch his eye, but he was on a mission. Haruhi knew he would see what was on the table, and she wondered how he would take this new information.

"Bananas, Haruhi?" He asked, amused. Then he looked at the empty glass and, picking it up, sniffed at the contents. "Pomegranate juice?" His voice rose incredulously as he glanced over to his wife.

"Erm, yes?" Haruhi wasn't sure how to respond. He wasn't looking at her anymore, just staring into the empty glass. She knew it should be obvious, but sometimes he surprised her.

Inhaling slowly, the subtle fruity scent once more caught his attention, and he looked in consternation at the glass in his hands. He was missing something, and it was just niggling at the back of his mind. What should he be thinking of right now? Pomegranate juice? He knew it was important, but he couldn't remember why.

"Cook bought the best kind this time around," Haruhi was saying nervously, hands in her lap. "It's perfect and so sour! I puckered quite a bit while drinking it..." She trailed off when he stilled.

"Haruhi?"

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath before looking at her expectantly. "Are you...?"

Haruhi knew he'd figured it out, but he just couldn't say it. So she smiled. Slowly. "Yes," was her rather blunt reply.

He sat down. Hard. On the ground next to the couch, he simply plopped down, unable to stand at the news. Haruhi began to chuckle but tried to stifle her laughter when he glared at her.

A moment later, a snort escaped his petite wife. Finally beginning to see the humor in the situation, he allowed a chuckle. The two looked at each other and started laughing harder.

"I don't know why I'm laughing," he said in between laughs. "It's not really that funny."

"But," Haruhi gave a loud laugh before continuing, "It is funny!"

The two laughed for some time before finally calming. He slowly moved to sit next to his wife on the couch. Taking her hand in his, he looked at Haruhi, his glance slowly moving from her face down to her stomach.

"When did this happen?" He asked her, smiling gently into her eyes.

Haruhi smiled back. "I'm not sure, but I think I'm four weeks along. I've got a doctor's appointment scheduled next week to confirm everything."

"I should have realized immediately when I touched you the other night," he said, voice low and eyes sparkling mischievously.

Haruhi blushed. "I can't help that," she snapped, embarrassed.

He laughed at that. "At least I caught onto the pomegranate juice."

"It took you a while," she smirked at him. "Last time, I couldn't eat anything without the stuff. It's been awful trying to drink water for the last week."

He glanced at her quizzically, and she knew she had to explain. "I didn't want to tell you until I was sure...," Haruhi's voice trailed off uncertainly.

Pulling her into his arms, he shushed her, saying, "It's ok. I understand." He held her tightly. "I'm so happy! This is wonderful, Haruhi. You've made me so happy."

She pulled back slightly to look into his smiling face. "But I didn't want to disturb you," she said. "Why did you wake up?"

"I noticed you weren't in my arms anymore," he said. "And didn't I tell you that I'd never let you leave my arms again?"

A soft smile settled on Haruhi's lips as she leaned into his embrace. "Yes," she said, "you certainly did."

The two sat like that for a while, not saying anything, but content in their love and their newfound joy until the clock chimed the half hour.

"Shouldn't we go back to bed?" Haruhi asked him.

"I'm too excited to go to bed, Haruhi!"

She laughed; he was just too charming sometimes. "Well," she said, "I was going to read another chapter..."

He looked up at her expectantly and requested rather piteously, "Will you read it to me?"

Haruhi knew she couldn't turn him down when he looked at her that way. So, she picked up the book and turned to the next chapter, written by an unbiased and highly helpful Hunny-senpai.

_After the initial dates Haru-chan went on, the guys were much more willing to ask her out again. In fact, the twins asked her on a regular basis to go out with them, even showing up at her house night after night to see if she would reconsider. _

_Tama-chan and Kyou-chan were a little more discreet, but they both continued to ask her on dates in their own ways as well. Haru-chan sometimes accepted, but more often than not, she declined the requests. _

_It was easy to see that Haru-chan was getting annoyed with the host club guys, except for Hunny and Takashi, that is. In fact, those two were the ones who tried to help her deal with her frustration one sunny afternoon when they invited her for a tour of their college. _

_Tokyo University had always been Haru-chan's dream college, so she jumped at the chance to see it and escape from the other hosts. However, Kyouya was always working on finding ways to be with Haruhi, and it wasn't long before he and the others were searching the university grounds for Hunny, Takashi, and Haru-chan. _

_"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!" Hunny's excited voice was carrying in the library, and several heads popped up curiously. "Did you see all the books?" He was trying hard to cheer up the hostess who had been strangely silent over the last week. _

_It had been two months since the hosts began their date plans, and Haruhi looked exhausted. Hunny and Takashi hadn't heard from her except in their visits to the host club, and both of them were getting worried when she didn't seem her usual cheerful self on their last visit. _

_In fact, most of the host club had wondered at her despondency, but only Kyou-chan was close in guessing that Haruhi was frustrated by their efforts. However, no one knew quite how upset Haruhi had grown over the last months; it wouldn't be until much later that they would understand what she was going through. _

_On hearing Hunny's voice, Haruhi glanced over from the table she was sitting at with Takashi. "Yes, Hunny-senpai," she responded quietly, "I did see the books. This is a wonderful library." _

_"Haruhi." Takashi's voice broke the silence that had descended after her statement. "What's bothering you?" _

_Hunny sat down next to them and, in a rare serious moment, said, "Yeah, Haru-chan, we can see you're upset about something. Please tell us what's wrong. We'd like to help." _

_Haruhi looked at her senpais and seemed close to tears, which surprised and worried the two. She took a deep breath before beginning to speak, but a voice over the PA system cut her off. _

_"Would Fujioka Haruhi please report to the front desk? Your family is here to pick you up. I repeat, would Fujioka Haruhi please report to the front desk? Your family is here to pick you up." _

_Haruhi's cheeks flamed with embarrassment, but Hunny-senpai was shocked by the pure despair he saw in her eyes. All three of the friends knew Tamaki and the twins had probably initiated the announcement. Equally true, they knew, was that Kyouya had led the group to the university. _

_Standing rather unsteadily, Haruhi moved to head towards the front desk. She stopped when Takashi grabbed her hand. _

_"No," was all he said. And leading her by the hand, he walked towards the back exit of the library. Hunny grinned and followed his cousin and friend. _

_The group walked aimlessly for a while, meandering through the campus grounds. Haruhi had finally begun to grow interested in the campus as Hunny took her on a tour of the various class buildings and different departments. He even introduced her to some of the professors he knew, and Haruhi was smiling and responding happily to all the new people and things she was seeing. _

_"Ha-ru-hi!" The twins' voices broke through the threesome's happy tour, and Hunny was disappointed to see a sort of veil come over Haruhi's eyes. The spark she'd shown before had disappeared completely, leaving a vague, disinterested look in its place. _

_Hunny and Takashi turned to see the twins leading Tama-chan and Kyou-chan towards them. Haruhi had moved a few paces away and was watching the procession silently. What shocked and somewhat hurt the two seniors was the blatant disregard the rest of the group had for them. _

_The twins ran straight to Haruhi, typical for them, and Tamaki went towards her, nodding at his senpais as he went. Even Kyouya, known for at least greeting everyone, said nothing but merely acknowledged the seniors with an even stare as he moved towards the group surrounding Haru-chan. _

_"How dare you take Haruhi away from us!" The twin's accusations hurt Hunny, especially when they looked at him so suspiciously. _

_Tamaki reprimanded the twins. "Don't grow angry with Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai, you idiot twins!" The two glared at him, and it seemed to Hunny that they were sizing him up. _

_"I'm sure Haruhi agreed to the outing," Kyouya inserted, looking at the three who were in a glaring contest. They turned to glare at Kyouya, and then, realizing what he'd said, they looked to Haruhi for confirmation. _

_"I wanted to go out with Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai," she said rather dispassionately. _

_After another round of staring, in which Hunny and Takashi felt they were being considered some sort of enemy, the twins and Tamaki decided a tour of the university would be in order, and they herded the group off to wind through the buildings. Haruhi, however, was not so pleased. She begged out of having to view the last half of the buildings, claiming to have seen them already with her senpais. _

_The group relented and even allowed Hunny and Takashi to see her home, but Hunny felt their stares as he walked towards his car. _

"Hunny-senpai was brutally honest, wasn't he?" He interrupted her, eyes downcast. "I feel rather ashamed at my behavior over those weeks. It wasn't fair to you for me to treat you that way," he added.

Haruhi smiled gently, cupping his cheek in her hand and raising it to look him in the eyes. "You," she said, "need to get over it. It happened so long ago, and we all know that the story doesn't end there. So don't think on it another minute. I forgave you a long time ago."

He grinned at her and pulled her in for a kiss before letting her continue with the story.

_On the ride home, Haruhi relaxed a little and even began to chat animatedly with Hunny-senpai, laughing loudly at his jokes. She seemed almost back to normal, and the two seniors were relieved to see her feeling better. They let their guards down and began to respond as they normally did, simply having fun with their friend. _

_That was why what happened a week later was so shocking to them. To everyone, really. But Hunny and Takashi took it rather harder than the rest because they had seen Haruhi's pain and didn't realize she was so upset. _

_After the disastrous day at Tokyo University, Haruhi began to act more like her old self, smiling and entertaining the girls the way she had always done. Her depression seemed to have magically lifted, and the hosts were once again vying for her attention. _

_In the host club, the girls requested her more and more frequently, rarely giving her time to rest after each request. However, Kyou-chan grew a bit suspicious when Bossa Nova-kun began to show up more frequently. The yakuza heir requested more and more of Haruhi's time, and, despite paying, Bossa Nova-kun's actions were making Kyou-chan curious. However, since Haruhi was making quite the profit for the shadow king, he said nothing, content to take notes in his black notebook and calculate profit margins on his laptop. _

_The whole week following the university tour found the hosts constantly trying to convince Haruhi to go on dates. She rejected every request, another unusual thing for the hostess because she always went on at least two dates a week, rotating from one guy to the other. They knew it wasn't because she wanted to; in fact, they knew Ranka-san had convinced her to give the hosts a chance. So they contented themselves with the knowledge that she would go out with them all and reject none of them...at least for a while. _

_That weekend, the twins had planned to attend a large gala hosted by their mother. It would hail her new fashion designs and promised much new business for the company. Both Hikaru and Kaoru tried inviting her to the event, but she turned them down bluntly. So the twins were rather dejected as they dressed for the event they'd promised their mother to attend. _

_Tamaki also had plans that weekend. His father and grandmother were holding a meeting to decide if he could become the Suou heir. It was a ridiculous affair since his evil grandmother still hated him, but Suou-san required Tamaki to attend dinners and stay in the second mansion, a request Tama-chan would not deny since it came also from his beloved grandmother. _

_The last of the competitors for Haruhi's heart was flying to China on Friday afternoon to attend the grand opening of a new hospital. The Ootori family was opening a new health system in different cities in China, featuring a grand opening in Beijing that Kyouya had been compelled to attend by Ootori-san. _

_That was why none of them knew what Haru-chan's weekend plans were. Hunny and Takashi had been content to leave Haru-chan to her own devices and thought she was doing much better; so even they didn't suspect a thing. _

_All hell broke loose on Monday._

_"What did you say?!" Tamaki nearly screeched that question at an angry Kyou-chan before the host club opened._

_"Haruhi has taken a leave of absence from the school," Kyouya repeated, taking a moment to adjust his glasses. _

_The twins wore identical furious expressions. "Well, where is she?" They asked together. _

_"We called her house when she didn't show up for class, and no one answered," Hikaru fumed. _

_Kaoru added, "Yes, and when we called Ranka-san's bar, he refused to come to the phone!" _

_Kyou-chan raised an eyebrow at that remark. "It looks like we'll have to close the club for the day," he said, sighing. "After we notify the girls of the change, we'll have to go to the Fujioka residence and speak with Ranka-san." _

_The twins and Tamaki nodded vigorously; Hunny and Takashi exchanged a worried glance. Where was Haru-chan? And why did she need to take a leave of absence?_

_After arriving at the apartment, the host club members waited four hours for Ranka-san to get home from work. During that time, Tamaki and the twins alternately paced and ranted, causing quite a few stares from curious neighbors. Kyou-chan abandoned his laptop when he realized there was no wireless internet connection in the vicinity and spent his time making various phone calls. Hunny and Takashi sat patiently outside the apartment door, hoping that Haruhi would come out and tell them it was just a joke and that everything was all right. _

_Finally Ranka-san arrived, looking exhausted and upset. He opened the door and let them in without a word. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, the hosts filed in quietly and took seats around the small table. _

_"Ranka-san," Kyou-chan began, immediately taking charge, "can you tell us why Haruhi has taken a leave of absence from school? She didn't inform us of this change, and we were worried something was wrong." _

_Ranka-san stared at Kyouya a minute before turning his gaze to the rest of the group. "Haruhi will be gone for a while," he said, looking down at the table. "She's gone to take a break and get some rest. But she'll be back eventually." The okama looked close to tears as he said this last part. _

_Tamaki looked serious as he asked, "But, Ranka-san, why did she leave? And where did she go?"_

_Suddenly angry, Ranka-san yelled, "She left to get away from you guys! You wouldn't give her any peace, always asking and pleading with her to go out with you! She couldn't even sleep with all the calls and text messages you were sending her!" _

_Taking a breath, he looked over at the hosts who now stared guiltily at their hands or the table. "Not only that," he continued quieter, "but she was so confused. Everything you did left her running in circles, not knowing what she was feeling. She broke down the other night. My daughter broke down because of the pressure you guys put on her! Why does she have to make this kind of choice? And is she really just a competition for you guys?!" _

_The okama glared balefully around the table, skipping over the graduates to hold the gazes of the twins, Tamaki, and Kyouya. He was angry, yes, but he was also deeply troubled. _

_"Do you even feel anything for her?" He asked. "Does winning Haruhi mean you've won a game?" His eyes landed on the twins, who looked abashed. "Does it mean you've pleased your father?" Tamaki looked embarrassed at that. "Does it mean you become the heir?" Kyouya adjusted his glasses. _

_Finally seeming to deflate, Ranka-san took a moment to ask one last question, "Or does it mean you love her and she loves you, too?" No one spoke for a moment. _

_Kyouya cleared his throat uncomfortably before responding. "Ranka-san, could you please tell us where Haruhi has gone?" _

_The okama looked at Kyou-chan evenly as he said, "No. I cannot." _

_The room erupted in shouts and accusations moments later as the twins and Tamaki tried to convince Ranka-san to tell them where Haruhi was. Kyouya moved to the living room to make some phone calls. Hunny and Takashi sat stunned for a while, watching as Ranka-san yelled back at the twins when they tried to threaten him. Even Kyou-chan's threats held little value to the angry father as he protected his daughter. _

_So the group finally left the small apartment with little information and much frustration. For the next week, the host club was closed as Kyouya and the twins exhausted their resources searching for the missing hostess. _

_It took a while before Kyou-chan stumbled upon the notes he'd made concerning Bossa Nova-kun, but when he did, his special police were quickly called upon to haul the poor guy into the host club for interrogation. However, it wasn't until he threatened Bossa Nova with bodily harm that Tetsuya, who had followed them to the host club, burst into the room claiming to have information. _

_Kyou-chan had men on the next flight out of Tokyo to find Haru-chan, but she wasn't quite so easy to catch, as the hosts soon found out. _

Haruhi closed the book softly, glancing to her dozing husband. She yawned loudly, and he sat up, taking her hand in his.

"Let's go to bed, shall we?" He asked her while smiling gently. Haruhi nodded, and the two made their way to bed.

Once settled in their large bed, Haruhi laced her fingers with his from her position in his arms. She sighed into the embrace, allowing herself to enjoy the sweet security he offered.

"Haruhi?" He mumbled softly.

"Yeah," she groggily responded.

"Can we have a boy this time?"

She chuckled sleepily before saying, "Hopefully."

...

**A/N: All righty then...Haruhi has left the building! Aren't you excited to find out where she went? And she left Tokyo! One wonders how she managed that feat without Kyouya noticing...then again, one is the author of the story who happens to have already written the chapter explaining that little tidbit! Mwahaha... lol. Anyway, back to reality, there were a couple things I wanted to mention in my notes! So...here goes! **

**1. My reviews policy: I've gotten into the habit of replying to reviews the same day (or shortly after) I post the next chapter. I enjoy replying to reviewers, and it's always nice to push the next chapter of the story; however, if that bothers anyone, please let me know! Hehe, but I'm still really loving all of your reviews, so please do keep them coming! **

**2. Since I'm going to be adding in new characters (well, side characters from the story), I wanted to know if you'd rather I left my descriptions at the top or the bottom of the page. Next chapter we'll have some more characters introduced, and I'll warrant that they'll need some explanations, so let me know your preferences! **

**3. Questions for reviewers: Where do you think Haruhi went? And did you like my portrayal of Ranka-san? I figured he'd be a very protective father when his daughter wasn't around (and obviously when she's so upset). Tell me if you liked that part or not. Were you surprised about the pregnancy? I kind of doubt it, but it was fun to read the reviews with all your questions about it! I've got a lot more in store for Haruhi and her husband, so you'll just have to wait and see what they've already endured! And, finally, did this change your opinion on who the husband is at all? I've had him all picked out from day one, so he seems pretty obvious to me at this point; however, I'm curious as to what ya'll think! **

**Ok, this is one of the longest author's notes I've written, so I'm going to shut up now. (Besides, you come for the story, not the author's rambling!) Thanks for reading, and please do leave a review if you feel so inclined! Thanks again, guys! I'm working hard on the next few chapters, so look forward to it! **

**-Rae-**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: All righty, peoples. Here's the newest chapter, and I apologize for the wait! Anyway, let me go ahead and do the character introductions for this chapter. In case you have forgotten them from the anime or manga, here are the quick and sweet intros to the side characters I introduce in this chapter: **

**Arai-kun: he's already been in the story, but I wanted to remind you that he a) does not have a first name (at least not that I know of) and b)is called Arai-kun by Haruhi (at least in my story, he is). For those who don't remember, he's the boy who worked at the Arai Grocery store and knew Haruhi during middle school**

**Arai-san: no first name, Arai-kun's uncle and owner of Arai Grocery--in the manga, Arai-kun explains that he's working for his uncle during the summer but goes back to school in Tokyo**

**Also reappearing are Kasanoda and Tetsuya (see previous chapter for character descriptions)! **

**Disclaimer: No owning, no earning. Entertainment purposes only. Thanks! **

**Or So They Say: Chapter Ten**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

"Haruhi," Tamaki called expectantly. "Are you coming? We're waiting for you!"

The former hostess grumbled good-naturedly before replying, "Yes, yes, I'm coming! Just wait a moment!"

The group had gathered in the Morinozuka home to celebrate their anniversary as a host club. It was a tradition Tamaki had instituted after Haruhi and the twins graduated because he felt it important to keep the friendships alive.

Besides, he had reasoned, it would be hard to ignore the host club even after they all graduated considering how things had turned out. He made a good point. Haruhi had seen the twins constantly after high school, despite the fact they had gone to Italy to learn from the fashion best. Kyouya had come by to visit on occasion, though it was mostly a formality he'd promised them to execute, but Haruhi felt somehow that he enjoyed the visits.

Tamaki was always around. It wasn't enough that his grandmother had finally given her last ultimatum; Tamaki had changed considerably over Haruhi's final year in high school, and he was not to be dissuaded. Haruhi had, of course, been accepted into Tokyo University easily and was in contact with both Hunny and Mori on a regular basis.

So it was that, on the exact date that Haruhi had been unexpectedly added to the club, Tamaki and the rest of the hosts gathered at one of the homes to celebrate their friendships. Haruhi thought it a bit extravagant at first, but once they'd done it a couple of years, and especially after they'd all gotten married and started lives of their own, she felt it was important to see one another this way.

This year was Mori's turn to host the group. In typical host club fashion, Tamaki had requested they all wear costumes, another extravagance Haruhi disliked, but at least she wasn't required to dress like a guy anymore. She had given up doing that in her senior year of high school, in a very unusual circumstance, and now her hair was long, flowing down her back in soft waves. The guys all felt it important to dress her as a queen, and Haruhi simply could not refuse them.

Now walking into the Morinozuka sitting room, Haruhi laughed when she saw the guys in their costumes. It was reminiscent of the days when they dressed in their Roman outfits. She had the typical female toga on, but it was lavender and flattered her curves nicely. Kyouya wore a Ceasar-like outfit, complete with gold leafy detailing and crown. The twins and Tamaki wore Roman guard outfits and looked amusing, especially since Hikaru was also sporting a semi-mohawk and Kaoru had pink streaks in his hair.

Hunny and Mori were suspiciously clad in regular clothes, but it wasn't because they didn't want to dress up. Actually, in honor of Mori's new daughter and mainly because he might be needed, the twins had decided not to force him into the close-fitting toga they'd put together. They didn't need their old friend tripping while he tried to run to his wife or daughter. The same was true for Hunny-senpai who had taken the role of protector and godfather to heart and would race Mori whenever he heard Hinako cry.

"Haru-chan, what chapter are the girls on now?" Hunny asked the brown-haired beauty.

"Ah, they've finally gotten to my first chapter," she replied pleasantly.

The twins exchanged looks and said, "Haruhi, read it to us! Read it to us!"

Glancing around the room, Haruhi knew it was a losing battle, and besides, she always brought the book with her when she came to the anniversary gathering. She might as well give in gracefully instead of making a fuss. She reached for her bag and pulled the old journal out. The twins cheered.

"I thought we were going to discuss business," Kyouya interjected.

Haruhi looked up, saying, "You have business to discuss? With whom? We never discuss business at the gathering."

Tamaki interrupted, "Ah, Kyouya, let's not do that today. We'll plan another dinner soon and discuss it if you don't mind."

"All right, Tamaki," Kyouya replied. "Please, Haruhi, continue." His tone of finality said the subject was closed, so the twins and the rest of the group settled in to listen to Haruhi read the next chapter.

She grinned as she recognized her handwriting. Steady, that's how Tamaki described it one day. Her strong letters bespoke a confidence in her writing and in the content that said she would stick by what she wrote. Considering the battle she'd gone through with Tamaki and the twins just to be allowed to write this chapter, she should show some confidence.

It hadn't been easy, but Haruhi argued that this chapter should be hers since none of the guys knew what had happened after her departure. In fact, none of them really knew what she'd gone through to make her want to run away in the first place. The argument was forestalled when the demon lord Kyouya sided with Haruhi. Tamaki backed down immediately, leaving the twins to fight the shadow king, a doomed fight, really.

Haruhi had won her battle and was able to write the chapter concerning her whereabouts, but she knew it would be better to back up and write about what she was going through before getting into the arduous travel, frustrating work, and even more arduous return trip home. Looking around the room, she smiled gently before beginning to read her part of the story.

_Haruhi was frustrated. More than that, she was hurt. Her frustration had grown increasingly following the first dates with her friends. She could admit to herself that she'd enjoyed the dates, and the camaraderie she felt with the hosts had only grown over the weeks to follow. However, her feelings were beginning to change. _

_Hikaru and Kaoru spared no opportunity to ask her out. Haruhi had already explained her policy to them ten times, but they continued to ask her out, disregarding her requests that they stop. It was annoying in class, but when they constantly showed up at her house to ask if she was done with her homework, Haruhi felt tired and angry. _

_Kyouya-senpai seemed to enjoy finding ways to torment her as well. The senior would constantly try to engage her in conversation about one of the twins or Tamaki. His goal, it seemed, was to get her to admit who she liked. Haruhi wasn't stupid, and she didn't fall into his trap so easily; though she was getting tired of dealing with his smirks and constant attacks on her emotions. _

_Tamaki-senpai was sweet in the way only a host could be. He had given up trying to romance her as he normally would one of his host club patrons, but he still felt that every girl deserved flowers from the one who loved her. So Haruhi went home each day with flowers of every variety and description. She had stopped keeping them in the house since Ranka-san was getting tired of the floral scent and was now selling them to the florist that was near her home. The man thanked her and paid her generously for the exquisite flowers, and Haruhi's small cash stash was growing tremendously. _

_Haruhi probably could have handled everything, even the frustration of the hosts asking her out constantly, if things hadn't changed subtly. She wasn't even close to deciding which guy she liked, but she continued to go out with them because Ranka-san pleaded with her to try and find one she could marry. However, it wasn't long before Haruhi noticed the tense atmosphere in the classroom and host club that was more foreboding and heartbreaking than she would ever expect. _

_"Ha-ru-hi," the twins chorused one afternoon, coming over to lean on her. It was typical for them to do things like this, and she really wasn't bothered by it, but this time she noticed something different. _

_From her position between her two classmates, she could feel a slight tug. It was almost like the twins were trying to subtly play tug-of-war with her body. This moment, she was closer to Hikaru; the next, she was closer to Kaoru. Glancing up through her half-lidded lashes, she spied them glaring at each other before they went back to smiling and talking to her. _

_At the same time, she began to notice Kyouya, who was sitting in front of his laptop. He would occasionally adjust his glasses with his head tilted toward the screen. However, when he moved his hand to grasp the glasses frame, Haruhi noticed his eyes were locked on the twins. _

_Tamaki-senpai, too, had changed. His protective nature had come out full force on more than one occasion, which was normal, but this time, he had sent the twins flying in different directions, slamming into walls, and hitting tables. It was an aggressiveness he usually did not display, and only Haruhi could feel the brunt of it. _

_These things opened her eyes to the game the hosts were playing, and Haruhi finally started to make sense of something Hunny-senpai had told her. It was called the "Who Will Win Haruhi" Game, and the object of the game was to win her, not to woo her or to fall for her. In fact, she finally realized, the game was just that: a game of winning, not loving. _

_So she began to watch the twins, Kyouya-senpai, and Tamaki-senpai more closely. They had subtly changed and would challenge one another with their eyes, something Haruhi had not noticed before. The guys would frequently touch her in one way or another and smirk, not at her, but at the others. She knew they would probably begin bragging about their dates with her if she wasn't in the room. _

_It dawned on Haruhi that she had become something of a prize cow in an auction. Four potential buyers were constantly tugging her this way and that, trying to outbid the others. She wondered morbidly if they would up the ante if she mooed. _

_Her humor had become caustic of late, and she was losing sleep because the twins constantly sent text messages and calls in the night. Her homework was lying uncompleted on her desk, and she began to worry about her grades. However, nothing compared to the day when the hosts dogged her steps to Tokyo University and convinced her that the competition had escalated to another degree. _

_When she realized they were growing jealous of Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai, Haruhi became furious. Her emotions had been toyed with long enough. She was not about to stay in the middle of this ridiculous game, and she was willing to disappear if it meant the hosts could go back to normal. _

_That night, she went home and cried into her father's arms for the first time. Her grades were at an all-time low, and she wasn't sure she could keep her Ouran scholarship. The hosts had been conniving and cruel to one another, and she could see the friendships breaking up. On top of everything, Ranka-san had been corresponding with both Ootori-san and Suou-san, and the two men had become anxious, demanding to know who Haruhi would choose as soon as possible. Ranka-san was exhausted from trying to meet their demands. _

_After sobbing for what seemed hours, Haruhi told her father that she was going to make a plan. She would let him know what the results of the plan were, but the basic idea was to run away for a while. Ranka-san immediately agreed. The father in him was clamoring to come out and protect his daughter from the cruel hosts who would make her so miserable, but he knew she wouldn't like that. So he let her make her plans. _

_The following week found Haruhi entertaining Cassanova-kun each day in the host club. However, what no one knew was that Haruhi had called Kasanoda the previous Sunday, asking him to help her. She explained what was going on in the host club, and Kasanoda became irate that they would treat her that way; however, he calmed down when she told him her plan. _

_Daily Kasanoda worked with his men to find contacts and utilize resources to help Haruhi. It helped that he had so many contacts in the underworld, but what was even more helpful was Tetsuya's knowledge and contacts. The two men found an old friend of Tetsuya's who specialized in producing fake IDs. Haruhi was going to become a man named Shinigawa Hatori._

_During their host club hours, Kasanoda kept Haruhi up to date on the progress the group was making. The hostess was ever the entertainer and continued to do her duties, but she had stopped accepting dates with the rest of the hosts, mainly because she would go to the Kasanoda home after school and work with the group. Haruhi felt badly about having Kasanoda do so much for her, so she offered to help them in any way she could. The men refused to let her do anything, so she felt bound to at least come to the house and try to be helpful. _

_Finally the ID was finished. Shinigawa Hatori was the son of a merchant from Tokyo. He was short for his age but expected to be the next merchant owner. For that reason, Hatori was taking a trip to Karuizawa to apprentice with another merchant: the owner of Arai Grocery. _

_On Friday, the host club closed early due to the twins' having to leave for the gala. Haruhi thanked her lucky stars that all of the members had plans over the weekend. She could escape easily. After getting home, she carefully packed her bags, two each full of various clothing, donned a new outfit, courtesy of Cassanova-kun, and left a note for her father. The two had discussed this very thing happening over the week, and Haruhi had mentioned she might just leave him a note instead of saying goodbye in person. She figured that should be good enough for Ranka-san. _

_Walking out into the fading sunset, Haruhi smiled to herself. This was one of the most exciting things she'd ever done. Her hair was mussed and extremely messy, somewhat reminiscent of her first days at Ouran, though even more boyish. The stage glasses Tetsuya had managed to produce were surprisingly easy to see out of. They made her eyes look smaller than they normally were, a surprising feat, but one created by the effects of the glasses. She wore her contacts underneath the glasses so she could see._

_Haruhi walked down the street wearing an old pair of pants that Kasanoda had given her. She still couldn't figure out why he had turned so red when she went to try them on, but that was all right. Her shirt was a dirty, white button-down of Ranka-san's. She'd borrowed it one year to use for cleaning the house because he'd told her he didn't want it anymore; now it was old and fit her rather well, disguising her curves but not dwarfing her small frame. _

_Making her way to the bus station, Haruhi waited for the bus that would take her to the airport. She reached into her pocket and took out her wallet. Opening it, she smiled at all the money inside; Kasanoda and Tetsuya had taken it upon themselves to see that she had cash, but she was also pleased that selling Tamaki-senpai's flowers had netted her such a nice profit. She would be easily able to handle being on her own for a while. _

_After arriving in Karuizawa, Haruhi made her way to Arai Grocery where she would be staying as an apprentice. Knocking on the side door, she waited for Arai's uncle to answer the door. _

_"Yes?" A man with dark brown hair and brown eyes answered the door. He stood expectantly, appraising this new person at his shop. _

_"Ah," Haruhi said, "I'm Shinigawa Hatori; I applied for a position in your store." _

_The man smiled and held the door open, inviting Haruhi inside. "Oh, yes, Shinigawa-kun, I remember now. I've been expecting you; please come in." _

_"Thank you," Haruhi replied politely, taking her shoes off at the entrance and following the man to a large kitchen table. _

_"Now, Shinigawa-kun, remind me," he began, "You're 18 years old, correct?" Haruhi nodded, not bothered by the lie. "And you're the son of...?" _

_"Shinigawa Todou," she supplied. "He's the owner of one of Tokyo's Gawa Grocery stores and has planted stores in other districts as well." _

_Arai-san nodded absent-mindedly before saying, "And you'd like to work at my store." She nodded once more. "Then, do you mind my asking why you'd like to work here instead of working at a grocer in Tokyo?" _

_"I'd like to get some real-world experience, taking responsibility for myself and making money on my own, before I go to college," Haruhi explained. "I thought that leaving Tokyo would be my only means of experiencing life on my own before I have to go to university and learn about management." She had carefully concocted the story and made sure there were no holes that could make him suspect her. _

_Arai-san nodded and smiled this time. "Well," he began, "you seem to genuinely desire this position, and your references are impeccable. If you'd like, I'll show you to your room, and you can get settled in tonight. You'll start tomorrow afternoon." _

_Haruhi thanked him for his hospitality and followed the man up the stairs. The back of the grocery store was the Arai family home, where Arai-san lived, and he allowed apprentices to stay with him for a small fee. _

_"You know," he was saying, "I've got a nephew just a few years younger than you who lives in Tokyo. He comes and works for me during the summer." _

_"That must be nice," Haruhi replied, remembering her time in Karuizawa with Arai-kun. "I'm sure he must be a hard worker." _

_Arai-san paused momentarily, caught by something in his new employee's voice, but he dismissed the thought as they reached the apprentice's room. _

_"This is where you'll be staying," he informed Haruhi. "There's a bathroom at the end of the hall on the left that you can use. Please put your toiletry items in the bathroom closet, and you can use the dresser in the bedroom for your clothing." Haruhi nodded and thanked him before carrying her bags into the small bedroom. _

_She carefully unpacked, leaving several revealing items under a pile of male clothing she'd brought. After putting aside the empty suitcase, she opened the second suitcase. Seeing what she'd packed on Cassanova-kun's request, she realized it would be better to leave this suitcase fully packed. _

_That night as she fell asleep, Haruhi wondered what would happen when the hosts discovered her absence on Monday morning. She'd neglected to tell her father where she would be because she knew somehow that the guys would force it out of him. She was worried about how Ranka-san would cope with Suou-san and Ootori-san, but it really was out of her hands since the older men refused to deal with her personally and chose to do business with her father. _

_The thought that her father was having to deal with all this stress on top of his job and paying the bills made Haruhi angry, but she realized Ranka-san was working his hardest to make things easier on her. It was frustrating being unable to take care of her family like she normally did, and she wondered if her father would remember to go buy food when the cabinets emptied. He could be so forgetful sometimes. _

_Sighing, Haruhi decided there was nothing she could do in Karuizawa. Looking around the small room, she thought it would be easier to simply sleep and try to find a better solution in the morning. After turning off the lights, she curled up into a ball on her small cot. As she drifted off to sleep, Haruhi thought how wonderful it was to be able to escape for a while._

_The next few days saw Haruhi settling into an easy lifestyle of work and study. She'd brought her Ouran textbooks with her to continue her schoolwork on her own. Each evening she would lock her bedroom door as she read her textbooks and did homework items she thought might be assigned to the class. _

_During the mornings, Haruhi manned the cash register and sold groceries to the locals. Luckily Misuzu-san ordered from Arai Grocery and never actually came to the store. Arai-san's young high school student was in charge of making deliveries, so Haruhi never had to go to the inn. _

_In the early afternoons, Haruhi got off work and spent an hour walking around the town. She liked being free from host club obligations and wanted to take in the refreshing atmosphere of the town. It was during one such afternoon walk that she realized she'd been found. _

_On Thursday afternoon, Haruhi was making her way down her typical route. She'd become friends with several of the neighborhood vendors, and she always stopped to chat with them. When she arrived at her favorite ice cream stand, she purchased a cone before starting up a conversation with the seller. _

_"Hello, Shinigawa-kun," the man greeted her. "How are you doing today?" _

_Haruhi smiled back and replied, "I'm doing well, thank you. And yourself?" _

_"I'm just great," he said. Then he got a puzzled expression on his face as he looked across the street. "Though I have been kind of curious about the two newcomers to the area." He pointed at the flower shop across the way, and Haruhi turned to look. _

_Her heart started to pound as something about the two men triggered a nervous response in her. They looked somewhat like two businessmen, carrying cell phones and wearing sunglasses as they spoke with the shop owner. The woman wasn't being very helpful, it seemed, because she was glaring and waving her hands at the men, as if to shoe them away. _

_"I wonder what they want with Sayako-san," Haruhi mumbled absently. _

_The street seller looked at her for a moment before saying, "They've been running all over the place all day looking for some boy. They haven't come over to visit me yet, but I heard old man Tada say they have a picture they're showing everyone." _

_Haruhi's alarm rose at this statement. Something about the way the men were dressed reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The men were turning to leave the shop when it hit her. The man leading the way out looked just like one of Kyouya-senpai's special police officers! _

_Needing to know for sure, Haruhi thanked the ice cream vendor and quickly made her way to the flower shop. Standing off to one side, she strained her ears to hear the quiet conversation the men were having. Finally one of the men walked away, heading to the ice cream vendor, while the other pulled out his cell phone and moved to the alley between the flower shop and the butcher. _

_Haruhi quickly ran around the back of the flower shop and came out to the other end of the alley where the man had gone. She knew there was a dumpster standing next to the shop and that she could stand behind it without being detected. So she waited, listening to the footsteps of the man as he paced. _

_"Kyouya-sama?" The unfamiliar voice resounded in the small space as Haruhi's muscles tensed. "Yes, sir, we think we've found her. The picture you gave us has helped immensely." _

_Haruhi waited to hear what the man would say next. _

_"Apparently, she's working at Arai Grocery as an apprentice," he said. There was a pause before he continued. "Yes, she's going by the name Shinigawa Hatori. No, we haven't gone to the shop yet." He listened for a moment before saying, "What would you like us to do? Go and take her from the shop?" _

_Haruhi stood, feeling as if she was on pins and needles and feeling the need to run from this place. Her logic, however, would not allow her to leave before finding out Kyouya's orders. _

_"All right, Kyouya-sama," the man suddenly said. "We'll continue to talk with the locals until your arrival. You'll be here tomorrow morning? Yes, sir, I understand; we'll have the car waiting at the airport." _

_A small noise signified the man had closed his cell phone. Haruhi relaxed slightly. She had time to figure things out. Her first instinct to panic was put firmly in its place as she made her way back to the grocery store. _

_Going into her room, she packed her things quickly and quietly. Arai-san hadn't called her for dinner yet, but she needed to get ready to leave as fast as possible. She knew the last train departed at 10 p.m., and she would need to be on it if she wanted to get out before Kyouya-senpai arrived. _

_Knowing she would be leaving him in a bit of a problematic situation, Haruhi drafted a note of apology and explanation to Arai-san. Her father, she said, had informed her that her mother was sick and needed her to come home. So she had no choice but to leave. She was sorry, and she hoped he could understand. _

_Later that evening, Haruhi waited until Arai-san went to bed. It was a blessing the man went to bed as early as he did, she realized. She could escape without worrying that he'd see her. Changing into the outfit she'd brought specifically for this purpose, Haruhi tamed her wild hair, brushing it into the neat hairdo she'd used in the club. Then she grabbed her suitcases and made for the door, leaving the note for Arai-san on the kitchen table as she went. _

_She exited the side door of the grocery and noticed a man standing across the street from the grocery. He wasn't watching the store, but he was obviously making sure nothing went unnoticed. Haruhi snuck around behind the stores next door to the shop and came out several blocks down and much closer to the train station. _

_Haruhi walked quickly and went to the ticket office where she purchased a night ticket to Tokyo. Perhaps her best option was to stay close enough to the hosts to not be noticed, she realized. This had been her second plan if the first failed, and Haruhi was determined not to get caught this time. _

_Turning on her cell phone for the first time in days, Haruhi noticed the various missed calls and messages she'd received. One message in particular caught her eyes. Kasanoda had left her a text saying Kyouya had interrogated him about her. She shook her head as she read it; Haruhi expected Kyouya-senpai to figure it out. The last line caught her attention. _

_"He doesn't know about the other." _

_Haruhi smiled victoriously. Kyouya-senpai was smart, but she didn't get into Ouran without having a little cunning of her own. Fingering her ID card, she glanced down at her attire. The pink dress was a little different from her normal attire, but she supposed it would have been better to dress as a girl in the first place. The hosts were too sure she'd go as a guy to think she'd become girly. _

_As she settled into her seat on the train, Haruhi wondered vaguely why Kyouya-senpai hadn't ordered his men to collect her and force her back to Tokyo. It seemed much more his style, and he wasn't one to get his hands dirty, so to speak. However, she was happy he'd chosen to come to Karuizawa himself; it would make it easier for her to get by in Tokyo without his realizing she'd come home. _

_Once she arrived in Tokyo the next morning, Haruhi took her bags and began the trek to the massive building she'd now be staying at. It took her a while to get there, but when she did, she sat her bags down, looking at the structure before her. The place was big enough to get lost in, she realized. _

_Sitting on the sidewalk, Haruhi wistfully wished she could have stayed in Karuizawa a little longer. It was cooler there, and she'd actually been able to relax for the first time in a month. Now she was stuck going with Plan B, and she knew she'd go back to being annoyed, though not quite as annoyed as she had been. _

_Sighing, she stood up, breathing deeply. It was now or never. Walking with her head held high, she made her way up to the massive gates in front of the building. Haruhi was going on yet another adventure._

...

**A/N: Here's an explanation for the names I used in this chapter! **

**Shinigawa Hatori/Toudou: I kind of made up the last name; Hatori comes both from OHSHC's author Bisco Hatori and from Fruits Basket's Sohma Hatori who reminds me strangely enough of Haruhi (don't ask); Toudou comes from Hana Yori Dango's Shizuka Toudou. I just borrowed the names cause I don't know that many Japanese names. **

**Sayako-san: I feel like I've heard this name before in a show or manga, but I can't remember. So we'll call it suppressed memories trying to offer a creative solution to my inability to name people. LOL. **

**Finally, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to explain Haruhi's reasoning for running away since that does seem a rather un-Haruhi thing to do. In my mind, she is a peace-keeper, and seeing her dad worn out from all of this is good enough for her to want to solve the problem by simply removing herself from the equation for a while. As for the whole fake ID thing, I don't know how prevalent that is in Japan, but it seemed a pretty likely means of helping her leave considering Kyouya's incredible police force, so if it seems too crazy, I hope you'll ignore it. We'll get back to some normalcy in the lives of the host club soon enough. Let me know what you think, though! **

**Thank you all for the great reviews! I hope you continue to enjoy my story and leave me such wonderful reviews! I really appreciate the encouragement! **

**-Rae-**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello all! I'm sorry it's taken such a long time to update the chapters, but I'm afraid I've had some difficulties writing the upcoming chapter. And, due to my policy, I wanted to finish writing chapter twelve before posting this one. However, you'll all be pleased to know that this is the longest chapter to date, so that should assuage some of the annoyance at such a long time between updating!**

**I'd once again like to thank my lovely beta, jcyz, for her work in editing this story. You are wonderful, Jacey, dear! **

**Since I don't want to spoil any of the chapter, I'm going to save the character introductions for the end of this particular chapter. Sorry, my dears, but I think you'll thank me for not spoiling the surprise (unless you already figured out where I was going with this). LOL.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing owned, nothing earned. Entertainment purposes only. Thanks!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Eleven**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

"Haruhi, dear, your daughters want a story!" The high-pitched voice of her okama father reached the brunette from her place in the kitchen.

Fujioka Ryoji had come to visit his daughter's family for the day. After she'd gotten pregnant, Ryoji promised Haruhi her children would never know of his cross dresser days, so he didn't act like one around the children. She wouldn't have minded at all, but for some strange reason Ryoji wanted to be a grandfather, not an okama grandmother or something like that.

Haruhi wondered at the time if he was just pretending to be strong after everything that happened, but even after things evened out, Ranka-san continued to act like a father figure and grandfather to his daughter and family. She knew he continued to work at the bar he'd been at for years, but her daughters had never asked her what grandfather did for a living; so she kept quiet and enjoyed the times he visited.

Grabbing an apple from the fruit stand, Haruhi moved towards the open door with a hand on her stomach. She and her husband had decided it would be wiser to keep her pregnancy a secret until they were sure, which was why she wasn't drinking any pomegranate juice. She'd lived with her father for a week during her first pregnancy after her husband accidentally insulted her while she was extremely hormonal, and Ranka knew about her drinking pomegranate juice.

Feeling tired for a moment, she stopped walking and looked down at her still flat stomach. It was so exciting, but she knew she shouldn't get too attached yet. Lately she'd been at loose ends since her husband had told her in no uncertain terms that she would not be working during this pregnancy. So, it was nice to have her father visit to keep her company.

Walking into the sitting room, Haruhi laughed at what she saw. Ryoji was on his hands and knees with Asai perched haughtily on his back. The little girl with his ponytail in her hands, was pulling on him and calling out commands for her "horsey" to obey. Kabuki was trying and failing to pull Asai off their grandfather and bitterly complaining that she wanted a turn, too.

"Okay, girls," Haruhi said warningly. "You need to let your grandfather rest a bit." She bit back a laugh at Ryoji's glare. "Didn't you say you wanted a story?" That got their attention, she noticed, amused.

"Yes, mama!" They chorused together.

"Will you read us the next chapter in the story?" Kabuki asked pleadingly.

Asai chimed in with puppy dog eyes. "We want to know where you went after the grocery store!"

"What happened next?" They again said together.

At this point Ryoji was looking quite confused. "The grocery store, Haruhi?" He asked. "Were you telling them about cooking for us or something? That doesn't seem like a very interesting story."

Haruhi had a good laugh over this, her sides aching as she looked at her father's confused glare. He didn't like being laughed at, she knew, but this was just too much for her.

"She was reading them this," a new voice joined the group to say. He walked in, carrying the old journal.

"Really, Haruhi?" Ranka was surprised at this. "But they're so young. Do they understand what's going on?"

"We know what's going on!" Asai exclaimed annoyed. The little girl was trouble sometimes.

Kabuki butted in with, "Yeah, Mama was mad at our daddy and uncles! She ran away cause they were mean to her!"

Ranka stared at his little granddaughters who reminded him so much of their mother. "Well," he began thoughtfully, "I guess I can't argue with that."

Moving over to his wife, he grinned at her as he handed the book to her. "They look so much like you," he began, "but they can really act a lot like me, can't they?"

Haruhi smiled from her place on the couch. "I think they have some of all their uncles in them, personally," she said. "They do tend to have more of your personality than anyone else's. I wonder if it's a family thing."

"My family or yours?" He asked curiously. His voice was still upbeat, but Haruhi saw the light dim a bit from his eyes. "Because I think they sometimes take after you and your father."

Ryoji looked at the couple sitting in front of him for a moment. They had endured so much, and yet they were as happy as they could be. And considering what her husband had gone through to get her, well, Ryoji knew theirs was a love that would last. It reminded him of himself and Kotoko, the logical, practical lawyer who found herself in love with him despite his crazy tendency to overreact to everything.

Yes, Haruhi and her silly husband would be just fine, he thought. But as Haruhi opened the book to the chapter, Ranka found himself studying the other man. For some reason he appeared strained, as if something was wearing on him. Ranka wondered if there was a problem at work but dismissed the thought immediately. His son-in-law always worked well with his partner and never had a problem administering his duties.

Hearing Haruhi begin to read, Ranka pushed the thought to the back of his mind and decided to ask his daughter about it later. For now, he was going to sit back and relax with his granddaughters, who cuddled up one on each side of him, and listen to the story of his daughter and her suitors.

_As she stood in front of the imposing building, Haruhi debated with herself. Was there another way to do this? She didn't really want to fall back on this last ditch plan she'd concocted. It wasn't because she didn't like these people either. _

_She was worried Kyouya-senpai would figure it out, and if he did, she'd be carted back home with barely a word of explanation. Besides that, she wondered if her disguise would work. While she wasn't a girly-girl by nature, trying to look more feminine was something she wasn't confident in despite the hosts' proclamations of her beauty. Not only that, she reminded herself, but could she really act differently in the hopes that no one would notice who she was? _

_Before she could take more time to talk herself out of it, she braced herself and took a step forward. Entering the gates, she wondered how she would find the person she was supposed to meet. She'd only been here one other time, and that time she was whisked away with no warning, much like times in the past with the host club. _

_Making her way to the main entrance, Haruhi pushed the large doors open before stepping inside. The bright sun caused her to blink as her eyes adjusted to the dark interior of the building. Before she could speak, she found herself engulfed in someone's arms. _

_"Fair maiden," the familiar voice of Amakusa Benio reached Haruhi's ears as she tried to fight the arms holding her. "Do not fret, fair maiden; we have rescued you from those cruel hosts," her voice crackled with anger as she said those last words. _

_"Yes," Maihara Chizuru agreed. "We are so glad to get you away from those horrible Ouran boys. They don't know the first thing about how to treat a young lady." _

_Tsuwabuki Hinako chimed in, "And now they'll be searching high and low for you but never find you!" _

_Together the three welcomed their fair maiden. "Welcome to Saint Roberia Institute, Fujioka Haruhi!" _

_Yes, Haruhi had done the unthinkable and asked for Benibara-sama's help a week and a half ago. The girl had nearly rushed over to her apartment when Haruhi explained her situation, but after hearing the plan, Amakusa Benio was impressed and decided to let her fair maiden do what she wanted. _

_Haruhi, for her part, had dreaded this phone call. She only had Benio's number because the girl refused to leave her alone if she didn't take it, and after the almost kiss, Haruhi shuddered to think what the girl would do next time if she didn't comply. However, now she realized it was a good thing she'd taken the number because the three heads of the Zuka Club had taken care of her entrance into the academy, including securing her a dorm room. _

_It was lucky for Haruhi that Saint Roberia had high school dorms because otherwise she would have had difficulties finding a cheap place to stay. As it stood, Benio and her two friends had taken it upon themselves to work everything out so that Haruhi could attend the school free. They'd secured a scholarship for her through some strange means that she wouldn't question for her own peace of mind, and now she would be moving in with them. _

_Upon calling Benio on the train yesterday, Haruhi found they'd been waiting for her call. Apparently, Chizuru spied on the host club and found out when Kyouya-senpai was going to search for her. The girl even left a message on her phone for her, but Haruhi had turned her phone off after checking Kasanoda's text and didn't notice it. _

_"Now, fair maiden," Benio was saying, "shall we show you around the school?" _

_Haruhi was jarred out of her memories and quickly nodded before saying, "And could you please not call me Haruhi. I don't want anyone to figure out my identity."_

_Hinako grinned before saying, "Of course, Hina-chan! You'll be in my class, so I'll show you around and introduce you to everyone." _

_Haruhi nodded, thinking over the sound of her new name on Hinako's lips. She had gotten a second identity created in case she needed to fall back on this plan, and it appeared it had been a wise decision. Tetsuya had been the one to suggest it. He felt she might need a second identity because of what she'd told them about the hosts, especially her suspicions about Kyouya-senpai's ability to find anyone. He had been correct. _

_"Tohru Hina-chan," Benio said, "you will be rooming with me for the time being. While third years generally get to stay in single rooms by themselves, I thought it would be better to have you with me where I can help you get settled in to the Saint Roberia atmosphere." She leered at Haruhi, causing the other two to gasp. _

_"Hmm, I guess that will be all right," Haruhi replied, not paying attention to Benio's antics. "It would be nice to get settled in. I'll be starting school again Monday, correct?" _

_"You can start today if you like, Hina-chan," Chizuru said. "However we felt you would be tired from your trip, so we okayed a day off with your teacher." _

_Haruhi took a moment to think about that before replying, "I think I'd like to get settled into my classes as soon as possible, but it would probably be better to rest a little." _

_With that said, the girls escorted Haruhi to the building next door. Avoiding the main hallways, they took her through a back entrance and up a staircase before walking her into a hallway filled with doors to different rooms. No one was around, so the girls were able to get her to Benio's room with little trouble._

_Setting her bag on her bed, Haruhi did the first thing that seemed necessary. She opened the second suitcase she'd packed and pulled out a wig. When she mentioned her plan of potentially becoming girly, her father couldn't resist buying her this ridiculous looking wig. Pulling it over her head, Haruhi walked to the nearby mirror to survey her transformation. _

_Still dressed in the pink dress from last night, Haruhi looked surprisingly good in the soft brown-haired wig her father had purchased. It fell in waves down her back, layers starting just past her chin and falling to mid-back. The hair was slightly wavy, giving her a much more feminine air than she had before. _

_The wig complemented her brown eyes, making her seem more beautiful in the light pink dress that fell to just below her knees. It had a light, airy feel to it, with small detailing in the stitching and short sleeves that seemed made to fit tightly over a person's arms. _

_"Do you think this will work?" She asked the girls who had gathered behind her excitedly. She wasn't really worried, but she knew she couldn't act like she loved and worshipped Benio the way the rest of the school seemed to. _

_Benio reached out to take Haruhi's hand, swinging the girl around to face them as she said, "Everything will be just fine, fair maiden! We will take care of everything." _

_Haruhi watched as the girls began to chatter their plans for her. Apparently, the Zuka Club drafted her in without so much as a question about her desire to do so. She would be made the unofficial secretary of the club and be free to walk with Benio wherever she went. Haruhi was rather annoyed that they were going to such lengths when she wanted to simply blend in with the other girls; however, they were the only girls she knew at the institute, and she couldn't say no when they'd done so much to help her._

_Knowing she needed to set the record straight, however, Haruhi interrupted the conversation at hand. "You do know," she began, "that I won't be able to act like the other girls that follow you around, right Amakusa-senpai?" _

_"Please, Hina-chan, call me Benio. Or Benibara if you like," Benio replied, grinning rather deviously at Haruhi. "I completely understand your feelings, fair maiden. You have been downtrodden by those idiot Ouran hosts, and you do not understand the divine love we share; however, I will make you fall for me, fair maiden!"_

_Haruhi stared at Benio as she ranted on and on without even stopping to take a breath. Chizuru and Hinako were both swooning at this point while Benio was waving her hands and dipping into different dramatic poses to show her sincerity. Haruhi wondered for a moment if Benio knew how similar she was to Tamaki-senpai. But, knowing that would anger the girl, Haruhi kept that thought to herself. _

_"Now, fair maiden, we will leave you to get unpacked and settled in," Benio ended her speech. "Lunch is in an hour, and we'll be back to collect you then. We need to get back to class now." _

_Before she could thank them for their help, Haruhi watched as they exited the room, giggling and talking together. Feeling tired by this rather boisterous introduction to her new school, Haruhi plopped down on the bed she assumed was hers. _

_"Have I just walked into a female Ouran?" She whispered before laying back to rest her head on the pillow. Her eyes drifted shut, and Haruhi felt her tense muscles finally relax after the overnight train ride. _

_An hour later Haruhi was abruptly awakened from her dreamless sleep when Benio slammed the door open, causing her to jump. Haruhi blinked owlishly and watched the girl walk into the room, closing the door behind her. _

_"Is it time for lunch?" She asked sleepily. _

_Benio walked over to where Haruhi was now sitting and handed her a Roberia uniform. "Yes," she said, "and you should try on your new uniform, fair maiden." _

_Haruhi wondered if she would get tired of hearing that title and then shrugged it off as one of Benio's peculiarities. It was similar to Tamaki's family identifications, though she'd noticed he had stopped calling her his daughter lately. In fact, Tamaki had forgotten on occasion to call Kyouya her mother or himself her father; but that wasn't important now. _

_Going to the bathroom, Haruhi slipped into the new uniform. It fit her perfectly as she expected since she'd given her measurements to the girls before leaving Tokyo. Looking at the blue ribbon and white uniform, Haruhi thought of her mother's necklace. Since there was no rule against wearing jewelry, she decided to put it on; it would complement the outfit nicely, she thought. _

_After rummaging through her bag, she found the small necklace and clasped it around her neck, murmuring her thanks when Benio complimented her on it. Then the two exited the room to head to lunch. Along the way Chizuru and Hinako joined them, causing quite the scene as girls from the dorm and on the way to lunch paused to see the wonderful Benibara-sama and her entourage. _

_Haruhi heard the murmurs as the girls around her noticed the new addition to the group. Most of the girls in the Zuka Club had gotten over Chizuru and Hinako's closeness to Benio; however, a new girl could mean trouble, and most of them would kill to get close to Benibara-sama. Thus, Haruhi was now enduring some rather scathing looks and threatening expressions on the faces of the girls she passed on the way to the cafeteria. _

_As they entered, all conversation stopped, and Haruhi had to take a deep breath to keep herself from shrinking back at all the glares she received. Benio stepped in front of her, Chizuru and Hinako flanking her on either side, as the group of four walked to the lunch line. _

_Similar to Ouran, the Saint Roberia Institute was well-stocked with plenty of expensive gourmet foods and five star chefs to create beautiful dishes. Haruhi was vaguely reminded of the twins' fight in the cafeteria as she saw the choices lined up in front of her. Picking something relatively simple to eat, she walked with the other three to a table that seemed specially reserved for Benio. _

_It was a calming place to eat, Haruhi realized, as she sat at the small table for four next to the grand windows of the cafeteria. The sun streamed in, creating a pleasant warmth to eat in, and the soft light of the cafeteria was brightened considerably in the sun's rays. Haruhi took a hesitant bite of the entree she'd ordered and nearly swooned at how delicious it was._

_"Do you like it, Hina-chan?" Benio asked her softly, leaning over to the girl she was sitting next to. _

_Haruhi turned and unleashed a huge grin on the older girl. "Oh, yes," she said happily, sinking her teeth into another bite eagerly. "It's delicious!" Haruhi cleaned her plate rather quickly. The girls were both surprised and amused. She was obviously not the daughter of a rich man._

_"We're glad you enjoyed the food," Chizuru was saying, looking as refined as usual while delicately cutting a bite of her steak. She, for one, wasn't completely sure about keeping this young woman, but she recognized Benio's need to help a poor sparrow like Haruhi. _

_Benio had always been the type to help small animals, and Chizuru supposed Haruhi was somewhat like a small animal. The story she'd told had made Chizuru want to hurt the boys who'd been so cruel to the girl; however, she would keep her distance. Chizuru was an only child who had never really had friends until she met Benio in the second year of elementary school. The two had been best friends until Hinako came into Saint Roberia during middle school and wormed her way into their friendship. _

_Chizuru wasn't one to trust people easily, so it was no surprise that she would keep up her suave demeanor around Haruhi. And while she was sympathetic to Haruhi's plight, she also felt Haruhi had somehow brought this onto herself. So she would simply sit back and help Benio and Hinako when necessary. _

_Hinako smiled at what Chizuru said and added, "Yes, I'm sure it's much better than the food you get at home, Hina-chan!" She was currently eating a smoked chicken salad on baby spinach with roma tomatoes and other delicious looking vegetables. _

_The girl smiled slyly as she noticed Benio watching Haruhi. It was obvious Benio was trying hard to get the girl's attention, but Hinako wouldn't be surprised if Haruhi didn't even give her the time of day. _

_From the time she met Benio in her first year of middle school, Hinako had always been fascinated with her. Benio was the type of person to get attention, something Hinako had never received at home, but with Benio, the attention didn't change the way she acted around people. That had impressed Hinako. _

_When she'd fallen down the stairs and accidentally landed on Benio one day, Hinako had been mortified. But Benio merely shrugged it off and helped her up, smiling in that Benibara-sama way the other girls loved. That was when Hinako determined to befriend the kind, older girl. After getting through Chizuru, which had been a chore, Hinako had finally gotten to know Benio on a more friendly level, and the three girls became close friends. _

_Haruhi glanced at her three companions as she finished her lavish dessert. They seemed so close, and she knew they were obviously good friends. Thinking about it, she realized it must look very strange to see someone new sitting at the table with these three friends. They really were being very helpful to her, and she smiled at them as she took another bite. _

_After lunch, the girls walked Haruhi to the next class that was on her schedule. Since she'd had a short nap, Haruhi decided it was time to jump into her classes as much as possible; she sat next to Hinako, who helped her catch up with everything that was being taught. Luckily, Saint Roberia had a curriculum similar to Ouran's, and Haruhi was advanced enough to quickly catch on to the lessons. _

_By the end of the day, Haruhi was exhausted. The train travel had taken a toll on her, and her new friends understood. Benio excused her from the Zuka Club for the day and had Hinako escort her to the dorms. After unpacking her suitcase, Haruhi fell into a deep sleep, missing dinner in the process. _

_Over the weekend, Haruhi walked around with the Zuka Club girls to every part of the campus, meeting some of her classmates along the way. While she didn't plan to stay at Saint Roberia's forever, Haruhi was impressed with the beauty of the school and the peaceful atmosphere the administration had created. Even the beautiful theatre that she'd seen once before captured her attention as it was tastefully decorated and comfortable. _

_Finally, her first real day at Saint Roberia began on Monday when she went to classes. Haruhi was pleased with the quality of instruction; though she hadn't expected any less coming out of a school of this pedigree. Her teachers were all very intelligent and posed challenging questions that Haruhi enjoyed pondering over lunch. She still managed to garner some glares for her friendship with Benibara-sama, but Haruhi was content with ignoring it until something happened. _

_"Well, fair maidens," Benio said that afternoon at the club, "we have a wonderful new addition to our club!"_

_"She is a beautiful and talented maiden, a newcomer to the school, scholarship student with incredible poise," Chizuru intoned pleasantly. _

_Hinako finished for the group. "And she is going to be the club's unofficial secretary now that she has joined us in our divine love!" _

_The girls of the Zuka Club were clamoring to see the new addition; some of them, having been in classes with Haruhi, were angry, but the rest were curious. The door to the club's office was closed, indicating the newcomer was hiding there. The girls began to get impatient; waiting was not their strongest point. _

_Benio silenced the chatter by saying, "Please help us welcome our fair maiden, Tohru Hina-chan!" _

_Chizuru pulled the office door open revealing a very embarrassed Haruhi. She was dressed in a silky green dress, courtesy of Hinako, who had forced her to dress up as soon as she arrived at the club. It was made of light silky material and had buffeted sleeves and a large, puffed skirt complete with taffeta underpinnings. A beautiful rose design, stitched artfully from her right hip to her left calf, and corset-type lace-up back completed the ensemble. _

_Haruhi walked awkwardly out of the office while cringing at the thunderous applause that met her ears. She had no idea there were so many girls in the Zuka Club. This looked like the entire school had gathered in one rather smallish room. Haruhi took another step and promptly tripped due to the green, stain high heels she was not used to wearing. _

_Benio was there to catch her, whispering in her ear, "You look beautiful, fair maiden." Haruhi blushed and tried unsuccessfully to push away from the older girl. _

_Seeing the exchange and blush, many of the girls felt uncharacteristically angry, but they blew it off when Benibara-sama winked at them. Benio helped Haruhi find her balance and then offered her arm to the girl to make it easier on her. Haruhi had no choice but to accept the arm if she wanted to get across the room any faster. _

_The two walked over to where a set of tables was waiting, and Haruhi wondered what the Zuka Club was all about. Girls were sitting at the tables with various items spread in front of them. Haruhi smiled and thanked Benio when she reached the club head table. _

_Before long, girls were chatting amongst themselves and engaging in various activities. The Zuka Club, Haruhi found, was dedicated to the pursuit of feminine activities, in particular the art of pursuing the traditional female role. Thus, she learned, the girls of the club spent their time sewing, quilting, knitting, and learning to play various instruments, though most already knew at least one instrument. On top of that, they had a makeshift kitchen in the back where the girls worked hard at learning how to bake various dishes. They also pursued more leisurely arts like scrap booking and drawing. _

_Haruhi had never seen such an eclectic club and was a little surprised at how the Zuka Club worked. With the exception of those pursuing the drama side of the club, most of the girls simply meandered from one task to the next, enjoying small talk and gossip as they worked. It was lighthearted and fun for the girls to simply be girls, Haruhi realized, and it made her wonder if something wasn't missing in her own life. _

_She had never really been inclined to be girly. Though he father was an okama, Haruhi was much more logic oriented, like her mother. That made her want to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place; messy emotional things tended to make Haruhi a bit squeamish, and she didn't enjoy pursuing the finer arts because they didn't seem very practical. _

_Thus, Haruhi felt quite out of her element as she watched the Zuka Club members on that first day. Benio, Chizuru, and Hinako ran from table to table and chatted with the girls, enjoying the camaraderie. The members of the club were subject to Benio's host-like tendencies, Haruhi noticed, and none of the girls declined a chance to share tea with the boyish club president. _

_Haruhi worried she would be forced to make pleasant small talk with these girls she seemed to have nothing in common with. All of them were daughters of rich men who wanted to learn the finer arts of being a wife and mother, and surprisingly enough, the thought of having to be a girl around them bothered Haruhi. At Ouran, she played a male role and needed only to tilt her head just so or smile sweetly to have the girls nearly swooning. While she didn't like girls, Haruhi realized it was much easier to be a host to girls than it was to make friends with them. _

_She needn't have worried, though, as she found out on Tuesday afternoon. It seemed Benio had a different purpose in mind for her "fair maiden." And, as luck would have it, Haruhi found herself serving tea to each of the girls, restocking the kitchen, and purchasing items the club needed. Chizuru had told her it was in the secretary's job description; Hinako said it was just Benibara-sama trying to keep Haruhi all to herself, whatever that meant. _

_Again, Haruhi couldn't help comparing the Zuka Club to the host club. The two were just so similar; the only difference being the Zuka Club was all female. She felt the same way she had when Tamaki-senpai had ordered her to be host club's dog after she broke the vase. Thinking of it made her smile a little; those days before the ultimatum were sweet and uncomplicated. Haruhi missed that, and being in the Zuka Club made her want to go back to her friends. However, she had promised herself--and her father--that she would get some rest before she went back to Ouran. Being at Saint Roberia's was tiring, and Haruhi knew she needed some more time to sort out her emotions, which were becoming more and more complicated and frustrating the more she thought about the hosts that were wooing her._

_By Friday, Haruhi had fallen into a routine. She was much more rested now that she'd gotten through her first few days in the Zuka Club. Since she was so plan oriented, Haruhi was much happier in an organized setting than in chaos like the host club offered. With the Zuka Club, she felt more relaxed because her duties were laid out straightforwardly, and she had only to carry them out. It made for a lot of time to think, but that was also helping Haruhi. _

_"Hina-chan," Benio called to her that afternoon in the club. Haruhi walked over to see what she needed. "Could you please go buy some of that Benoist tea from the store? We're almost out, and it's Sayano-san's favorite." Benio ran her finger down the chin of the girl she was currently having tea with. Haruhi shook her head when the girl closed her eyes happily. _

_"Of course, Benibara-sama," Haruhi replied. She'd gotten used to calling Benio by the worshipful name the Zuka Club girls used. Besides, it was easier to do that than to call her Benio and have the rest of the girls become angry at her closeness with the older girl. None of them had yet learned about Haruhi's rooming arrangement, but she figured they'd be even more jealous of her if they did. _

_So far, things were going pretty well at the school. Her teachers liked her work, and she hadn't encountered any girly bullying. This was encouraging to Haruhi, and she smiled as she walked over to the bus stop. _

_Clouds overhead reminded her that the weather forecasted storms later on. Haruhi felt troubled but decided to ignore it for the time being. Surely she'd be back to the school and in her room before the storms began; the forecaster had said they wouldn't arrive till late evening. However, the dark skies were looking more and more ominous, especially after Haruhi left the expensive store with the designer tea. _

_Making her way back to the school, Haruhi tripped and nearly fell after entering the gates. She bent over to pick up the bag she'd dropped, missing the gaze of the person waiting just inside the gates. As the intruder began to walk towards her, a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead, scaring Haruhi nearly witless. _

_Without thinking she ran. Finding a door, Haruhi scrambled to open it, disregarding entirely the steps of someone behind her. Yanking the door open, Haruhi raced inside, only to find she'd entered the theatre. _

_Running down the aisle, she pulled herself onto the stage. She'd noticed a low table was set up for the upcoming play the other day, and she quickly knelt down, climbing underneath the structure and curling into a small ball. Haruhi waited for a moment, wondering if the thunder had been rogue and was just foreshadowing things to come when she heard something. _

_Turning her head towards the noise, she noticed someone standing at the back of the theatre. Before she could say a word, the person started to walk towards her. _

_"Haruhi?" She heard before the person stepped into the light. Her eyes widened slightly, and she felt shock hit her as the person walked up to the stage._

_How had he found her?_

Haruhi stopped reading, looking around the room. He looked enthralled with the entire story, but she knew he would be. She placed her hand on his loosely, letting him entwine their fingers.

The room had grown silent after she finished the chapter, and Haruhi looked at her father amused. Ryoji had a speculative look on his face. Though she'd told him the story before, she'd never let him read the journal the hosts had written. Actually, she realized ruefully, she'd forgotten to tell him about it; someone else had told him about it.

"Who, Mama?" Asai asked, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah, who found you, Mama?" Kabuki added, looking quite perturbed.

Haruhi smiled at her daughters but didn't answer.

Now Asai was ready to fight. "Was it Daddy?" She asked.

The man sitting next to Haruhi chuckled lightly. He wondered if she would give in to her daughters' demands. Knowing her like he did, though, he expected her next words.

"I can't tell you that," Haruhi told Asai. "You're just going to have to wait for the next chapter of the story."

Ryoji looked surprised at this. He already knew who had found Haruhi in the Saint Roberia theatre, but he wondered why she hadn't told her daughters. They were already starting to pout. Asai was looking pointedly away from her mother with a frown on her face, while Kabuki had curled into an adorable little ball and was glaring at her chuckling parents. Ryoji thought they were adorable.

"You two," Haruhi began, "need to go to bed." The girls immediately protested, but Haruhi continued, "You know it's bedtime, so go upstairs and get ready for bed. Tell your grandfather good night, first."

Asai and Kabuki looked at their mother mutinously, but they quickly changed their expressions when their father cleared his throat. Looking over to him, the girls grinned when he flashed them a beautiful smile before pointing upstairs in a no-nonsense sort of way. Reluctantly the two moved off the couch.

"Good bye, Grandpa," Kabuki exclaimed, leaning over to give Ryoji a hug and kiss. Asai roughly yanked her out of the way.

"Good night, Grandpa," Asai said, giving the man a hug and kiss as well.

"We love you," the two said as they exited the room, leaving the door open in their wake. The three remaining could hear the girls arguing as they walked up the stairs together.

Ryoji laughed a little at his granddaughters before looking at his daughter and son-in-law. "I guess I should clear out of here and let you get some sleep, huh," he said.

Haruhi smiled and stood, ready to walk her father to the door. "Thank you for coming, Dad," she said.

"Yes, thank you for visiting," he said. "Please come again soon."

Ryoji smiled and shook his son-in-law's hand as the man walked to the stairs. He said something about getting the girls ready for bed and left Haruhi with her father.

She was smiling up at his back as he disappeared up the stairs, but when she turned to Ryoji, the smile fell from her face. "What's wrong?" She asked, concerned with his contemplative demeanor.

Ryoji looked at her and thought a moment before saying, "Haruhi, is something wrong at work?"

"No, of course not," she said, feeling a little flustered because she'd stopped working that week. "Everything is fine, and I'm hoping to negotiate some arbitration between a couple of my clients soon," she lied guiltily.

Ryoji shook his head quickly, saying, "No, no, not with you. I meant..." He pointed upstairs.

Haruhi took a moment for comprehension before she looked at her dad and said, "I'm not sure. I think there's something going on, but he hasn't told me about it yet. I was going to talk to him about it soon, though."

Knowing his daughter, Ryoji took her words at face value and decided further investigation would be left to her. After all, she was a lawyer and quite a good one at that. She would be able to figure out what was going on with her silly husband, and then she could tell Ryoji so he wouldn't worry. Though he figured he really didn't have to worry; those two would figure things out. They always did.

Feeling heartened, Ryoji kissed his daughter on the cheek before giving her a hug. Haruhi hugged him back, encouraged that he wasn't going to push further, and the two said a happy good bye before Ryoji left.

Sinking into a chair in the sitting room, Haruhi wondered how to approach her husband about work. Something told her there was more to this than just his work. However, she knew that if her hunch was right, he would be a bit difficult to open up simply because of the bad blood between him and his family.

Sipping on some pomegranate juice, Haruhi thought it might be better to just wait for him to come to her. He always told her what was going on in his work life, and she knew better than anyone the struggle he'd had just getting to this point. Because she loved and trusted him, she decided, she would let him have his secret...for a little while.

...

**A/N: Wow, I can't believe this chapter was 6,000+ words before I added in author's notes. That's the longest chapter I've written for this story, so you all should be happy. **

**Now that we've seen Haruhi's newest hiding place and subsequently the host who finds her (though still nameless, go figure I'd have a cliffhanger waiting for you), I have to admit that things are going to become more obvious. I've realized I'm writing myself into a hole because I can't advance the present-day story without giving away the husband's identity. Thus, I think he's going to become quite, unerringly obvious in the next chapter, and if that doesn't work, we'll get him out in the thirteenth chapter. That's just a head's up for those of you who were wondering if I was ever going to give him away. **

**Character descriptions for this chapter:**

**Benio: obviously the leader of the Zuka Club, appears in both anime and manga, and tries unsuccessfully to convince Haruhi to join Saint Roberia's (which, by the way, is the manga version of the school's name, not the anime!) **

**Chizuru: one of Benio's underlings in the Zuka Club (I'm hoping I did her justice, but ask if you have any questions about her.) **

**Hinako: another Benio underling in the Zuka Club (Again, I hope I did her justice!) **

**Note on Haruhi's other assumed name: Tohru comes straight out of Fruits Basket (I know, not original, but it was the best I could come up with), and Hina comes from...I can't remember, but I do know Hina was a name in Yu Yu Hakusho, so we'll say it's from there (Hina was Hiei and Yukina's mother's name, I believe)**

**Once again, thank you all for reviewing! I've loved getting all your reviews and thoroughly enjoyed the things you have to say, including the excellent and entertaining rationales concerning Haruhi's husband. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon! Thank you for reading, and I dearly hope you enjoyed my little insane bit of humor that brought poor Haruhi right into Benibara-sama's clutches! **

**Until next time...**

**-Rae-**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I haven't finished writing chapter thirteen yet, but I'm working on it. LOL. Ah, on an interesting note, I did some research and found a Karuizawa in Japan that's not really far enough away from Tokyo to have the gang fly there, but I had it work that way anyway. Haha. Ok, I'll shut up now and leave the rest of my comments on the chapter for the end! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing owned, nothing earned. Entertainment purposes only! Thanks! **

**Or So They Say: Chapter Twelve**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

_While Haruhi was settling into her life at Saint Roberia, the host club was dealing with repeatedly failed attempts to find their hostess. After Kyouya's attempt to capture her and return her from Karuizawa, things became a little messy with the hosts. _

_"Why didn't you tell us you were going to Karuizawa to get Haruhi?" Hikaru angrily demanded of the steaming vice president. _

_"We would have come with you, Kyouya-senpai," Kaoru added. His expression changed to one of anger as he said, "Or did you just want to get her all to yourself?" _

_Kyouya, for his part, had not intended for the twins or anyone else to find out about his flight to Karuizawa. Unfortunately, Tamaki had gone by his house the morning he left and spoke to Fuyumi, who informed him of Kyouya's task. And, while he wasn't angry with his friend for leaving, Tamaki was surprised that Kyouya would go searching for Haruhi without telling anyone else what he was doing. _

_"I interviewed Kasanoda-san and Tetsuya-san after you two left the club for the day, and I did not find records of Haruhi's whereabouts until after they told me about her assumed name," Kyouya replied coolly. "Once I traced the plane tickets to her alter identity, I knew I needed to act quickly before she disappeared again. So I sent my men to determine if it truly was her, and then I decided to go after her." _

_"That still doesn't tell us why you went alone," Kaoru pointed out belligerently. _

_Kyouya sighed as he tried to explain himself. "If all of us came to Karuizawa, Haruhi would have undoubtedly found out we were there before we could get to her. She would have been able to get away from us. As it stands, she unfortunately must have been tipped off about us and somehow left during the night before I came." _

_Tamaki looked up from his seat on the couch and asked, "Doesn't that mean you can just trace her tickets or whatever form of transportation she used again?" The twins stared at the lord for a moment in shock; he actually made a sensible suggestion. _

_"There is no record of a Fujioka Haruhi or Shinigawa Hatori booked on any flights, trains, or busses out of Karuizawa," Kyouya forestalled the hopeful Tamaki and the twins with these words. "I'm not sure how she managed to get out of Karuizawa, but she obviously didn't use her name." _

_Tamaki looked stubborn as he insisted, "Are you sure you checked all the flights out, Kyouya? She could have gone overseas to get away from us." The club president looked sad as he said this, and he seemed more subdued than ever before. _

_Kyouya shook his head, once again explaining, "Haruhi doesn't have a passport; even if she could get a passport under her assumed name, I checked all the flights, including international ones, leaving Karuizawa. There was no passenger with either name." _

_"So you failed to find the little hostess?" A new voice entered the Third Music Room, and the group looked up to find Ootori Yoshio standing just inside the double doors. _

_Next to him stood Suou Yuzuru with his hands clasped behind his back. Club hours were long over for the day, and the club members had sat for a few hours discussing Haruhi after Tamaki blurted out his findings on the vice president. _

_The two men walked casually over to where the hosts stood. Tamaki moved to face his father, Kyouya moved deliberately to a nearby table and sat, pulling out his black notebook to make notes. The move did not go unnoticed by his father, who smirked widely at his youngest son. _

_"I did say this could be taken as a challenge, did I not, Kyouya?" The man goaded, wanting to provoke his tightly controlled son. "Apparently you are not up to the task." _

_Kyouya reached up to adjust his glasses before saying, "Apparently, Father, Haruhi found out I was coming. It's as simple as that." _

_Now Yuzuru spoke up, "But you don't know where she's gone, do you?"_

_A hint of anger tinted Kyouya's cheeks slightly as he answered, "No." The boy did not move from his spot, but now he had his eyes solely trained on his father and the school chairman. _

_"Worthless," Yoshio spat with contempt. _

_"And I don't suppose either of you knows where she is," Kyouya responded with an edge to his voice. "Obviously you don't because you haven't forced her out of hiding like I know you would do should you find her." _

_Tamaki looked at his father in surprise and quickly put in, "Do you know where Haruhi is, Father? You are in contact with Ranka-san after all. As far as we know, he is cooperating with you. Surely you've asked him where she's gone." _

_Yuzuru eyed his son for a moment before looking at Yoshio. The two exchanged glances laden with meaning before Yuzuru finally said, "No, I don't know where she is. Fujioka-san has been quite cooperative, but he denies any knowledge of Haruhi's whereabouts. Because of the deal we made, we have to take his word for this." _

_"What kind of deal did you make?" Hikaru asked directly. No one had made any mention of a deal before; though all of the hosts suspected foul play on the parts of the Suou and Ootori heads. _

_"That is none of your business," Yoshio growled out. He had been angry when Ranka-san informed them of the twin's game and didn't want them to spoil the competition between himself and Suou. _

_"But it is my business, Father," Kyouya interjected, looking more determined than ever to get the truth. _

_Tamaki added, "And it's mine as well." He stared at his father steadily, seeming to transform into a young man rather than a spoiled little boy. "Don't you think we deserve to know what's going on here?" His gaze turned cold as he looked from Yuzuru to Yoshio. _

_Yuzuru looked at his son in surprise. He hadn't expected anger from Tamaki, at least not about this turn of the conversation. "This is just business, Tamaki," he said patronizingly. "You wouldn't understand." _

_"It's not business when it involves my friends," Tamaki nearly yelled, his voice a high pitched sound that caused Yuzuru to flinch slightly. "If this is business, I want nothing to do with it."_

_"There, you see, Kyouya?" Yoshio's delighted but sinister voice pierced the stillness. "It wouldn't be so hard to steal the little hostess" he pronounced the word like it was a sick endearment "from your friend here. You just need to find her first." _

_"Kyouya wouldn't do that," Tamaki said before his friend could respond. He looked Yoshio in the eyes as he continued, "He's a good person and my mon ami. He only went to find Haruhi because she would have run if all of us went." _

_"Is that what you think?" Yoshio laughed, a cold and emotionless sound. "Good job, Kyouya. You truly are an Ootori, aren't you?" _

_Before anyone could speak, the man turned abruptly on his heel and stalked off. The doors clanged shut behind him with a formidable sound. Tamaki was left looking at his friend in silence, his eyes veiled and expression blank. _

_Yuzuru stepped up behind Tamaki, looking grim. "I'd find your Haruhi soon, Tamaki," he said quietly, hoping no one else would hear. "You don't know how much harm _he_ could do to her." Tamaki shook his father's hand off his shoulder and turned to tell him off. The words died in his throat as he saw the man was already halfway to the door. _

_The four hosts stared at one another, Kyouya's eyes hidden behind his glasses, and the twins standing beside one another, hands entwined for comfort. Tamaki walked to the couch and sank down tiredly, looking to all the world like a man with a huge burden on his shoulders. _

_Finally, Kaoru broke the silence, whistling lowly. "I can't believe it," he said, looking at Kyouya incredulously. "I can't believe it," he said again, "but it makes sense." _

_"What does?" Tamaki asked, unnerved by the way Kaoru was looking at Kyouya. _

_"You are an Ootori, after all," Kaoru continued, ignoring Tamaki. "It makes sense that you would try to steal Haruhi for yourself. And your father challenged you to do it; you've always risen to a challenge he set, haven't you, Kyouya-senpai?" He drew out Kyouya's name slowly, making it sound a bit like a curse. _

_Hikaru, seeing where his twin was going with this, broke in, "What did he do? Tell you that you couldn't take Haruhi away from Milord?" His twin stomped on his foot, reminding him he shouldn't let on what they knew. "I'm sure that would make you mad, wouldn't it? You've never wanted to be seen as inferior to anyone, especially not Milord." _

_Tamaki stood up, furious, and yelled, "How can you say something like that?!" The twins blinked at him, shocked at his outburst. "Kyouya is our friend! He wouldn't do something like that!" _

_"But Milord," Kaoru began, "you heard Ootori-san. He's right; Kyouya is an Ootori no matter how you look at it."_

_"Besides," Hikaru added, "you know Kyouya is only in it for himself! He probably just wants to win Haruhi so his father will make him the heir or something!" Kaoru squeezed his hand painfully, but Hikaru had already said it; nothing could take it back. _

_"That's enough!" Tamaki's voice swelled to a deep crescendo, ending on the last note as his chest heaved. "That's enough," he repeated a little quieter, looking at the twins evenly. "This has gotten out of hand. We need to stop this game." He glared at the twins when they began to protest. _

_"We agreed to compete for Haruhi," Hikaru started angrily. "And she is the only one who can decide who wins."_

_"Until Haruhi chooses one of us," Kaoru now said, "we aren't stopping the game." _

_The twins glared at Tamaki menacingly. The king, for his part, was standing with his hands on his hips. His eyes lit with anger and another emotion, as he advanced on the twins. _

_"We agreed," he ground out slowly, "to a friendly competition." He paused. "This has gone well past a friendly competition. If we are fighting one another and betraying our friendships, it is no longer a friendly competition. I say we need to stop this now." _

_Kyouya, silent up to this point, finally stood from his table, causing the three glaring boys to look at him. "I think," he began, "Tamaki is correct. For once, he has figured out what the rest of us have not." The twins looked at him quizzically. "We are hurting one another by competing over Haruhi. And," he said quickly before Hikaru could cut in, "we are probably hurting her as well." _

_"Perhaps," Kaoru now said, mindful of the angry twin at his right, "we should set aside our differences for the night. We're obviously not getting anything accomplished, and we can continue to search for Haruhi tomorrow. Letting our anger get the best of us will only end badly." _

_Tamaki readily agreed, saying, "Yes, and we can ask Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai for their help, too! Why don't we go home and get some sleep for now and reconvene tomorrow?" The king's demeanor brightened considerably on that thought as he looked around the room for agreement from his friends. _

_The three agreed, the twins a bit reluctantly, to go home for the night. Mitsukuni and Takashi would be coming the following day, and they could discuss some of the more upsetting aspects of their meeting then. _

Voices from the hallway caused Haruhi to pause in her reading. Asai and Kabuki looked at her expectantly, but their mother focused on trying to discern who the voices belonged to. She realized with a start that the twins, Tamaki, and Kyouya were walking down the hall.

It was almost 8 p.m., and the girls were going to bed. Haruhi was reading them Mori's chapter, something he'd written to fill in the gaps behind what the hosts were doing during her disappearance. She hoped the girls didn't hear their father's or uncles' voices because they would immediately want to go visit.

Looking down at the chapter, she realized they had a long way to go. All the things she'd read had happened on the Monday after she arrived at Saint Roberia's, and she hadn't been found until Friday. Realizing the voices were getting closer, Haruhi decided to finish reading the chapter, hoping to distract the girls that way.

_When the two senpais arrived at the host club on Tuesday, they found a chilly atmosphere awaiting them. Their friends had separated into three parts of the room, and even the girls who fawned over them were feeling dispirited by the dark auras the boys were emitting. _

_Both Mitsukuni and Takashi could see that their friends were angry at something, but they couldn't figure out what it was. Perhaps Haruhi's absence was stressing the other hosts out more than they cared to admit, but Takashi knew there had to be something more bothering them. So the graduates watched as the twins entertained their girls from the couch, turning on their "brotherly love" more forcefully than ever before and sending some of the patrons running for the doors to escape the heat. _

_Tamaki, for his part, had retreated to the piano where he sat surrounded by his designators. He extended rose after rose and offered heated compliments to many a young girl, causing them to nearly faint. Meanwhile, Kyouya had set up camp at his perpetual table where he entertained a few women with cups of designer tea and his deceptive glasses tricks. _

_Mitsukuni and Takashi tried in vain to lighten the atmosphere by offering cake to the girls who designated them and trying to appear happy in the midst of the obvious strain. Despite their efforts, however, the oppressive feeling caused most of the girls to leave early, a first in the host club's history._

_When only a few girls were left hanging around, the guys began to clean up. Mitsukuni was shocked when the twins abandoned the one girl who had stayed to chat with them. They blatantly ignored her as they moved to pick up the leftover teacups, and the girl blushed from her embarrassment at the treatment. She slowly picked up her bag and walked toward the door. _

_The other girls left were receiving much the same treatment from Kyouya and Tamaki; though, some of the more stubborn ones were trying vainly to engage the hosts._

_"Excuse me, ladies," a charming voice came from the door, "but would it be possible for us to speak with the host club privately?" Suou Yuzuru walked towards his son as he said this, and he flashed a smile that caused the remaining girls to blush as they began exiting the room. _

_Ootori Yoshio followed Yuzuru-san into the room, smirking at the girls as they passed him. It was only after the room emptied of patrons that the smirk melted away. Yoshio acknowledged the graduates with a nod before looking at his son. _

_"Well, well, Kyouya," he began, eyes flashing, "bringing in reinforcements already?" He indicated the two senpais with a wave of his hand. _

_Mitsukuni looked up, surprised, as he said, "What do you mean by that, Ootori-san? Why would Kyou-chan need reinforcements?" He smiled cheerfully; though Takashi could see the expression was forced. _

_"Perhaps it is because his son has been unsuccessful in his attempts to woo Haruhi-chan," Yuzuru put in, glancing at Yoshio, who was trying to remain nonchalant. _

_"May I ask what you are doing here again, Father?" Kyouya asked, standing to face the man who was looking slightly uncomfortable. _

_The atmosphere filled with angry tension, but something in the older men's demeanors stopped the hosts from moving into defensive positions. It seemed Ootori-san had positioned himself near his son but was not looming over the boy as he had the day before. Today, he was standing facing Suou-san, who had moved near Tamaki. The two subtly positioned themselves to face off against one another rather than against their sons. The change was palpable in the way the hosts moved. _

_The twins, for their part, did not know how to react to this subtle and yet blatant change. So they stood together, between Tamaki and Kyouya, not holding hands but close enough to touch, should the need arise. _

_Mitsukuni and Takashi, not knowing the previous day's events, stood near Tamaki, Mitsukuni having slipped off his cousin's shoulders when the visitors arrived. The two weren't standing at attention, but the tension in their stances belied the ability to spring into action if provoked. _

_"We have come, Kyouya, to offer our assistance, or rather my assistance as Suou can do nothing but watch what happens, to the cause of finding your future fiance," Yoshio answered his son while turning a smirk on Yuzuru. The two men glared at one another, disregarding the glares sent their way from three very annoyed young men. "Besides, you all are so utterly incapable of figuring out where she has gone that we need to step in, don't you think? I've even offered Suou the use of our private police force if he thinks that will work." _

_Kyouya bristled and made to comment, but Hikaru stepped in, saying, "And just how do you know that Haruhi will accept Kyouya-senpai as her fiance? She dates each of us, and she hasn't even indicated who she might like!" Kyouya blinked at the twin. His hand automatically moved to adjust his glasses. _

_Kaoru now spoke, "Besides, Haruhi doesn't even want to choose. If you hadn't forced this on her, we could have enjoyed the rest of our high school together, but now she's having to choose one of us to marry! It's ridiculous. We're only in high school." Even as he said his last words, his voice dropped a bit, unsure. Yoshio noticed this. _

_"Surely you don't think your other classmates aren't betrothed," Yoshio said, grinning maliciously at the twins. "It's a well-known fact that every son or daughter of Ouran always has a betrothed waiting for him or her. Even Tamaki, stupid boy that he is, had that French girl, Eclair, to wed. Had he not been so idiotic, he might have actually made a good match for himself." _

_"That's enough," Yuzuru's voice was deadly calm, but his eyes spoke volumes of his fury. "You will not drag my son down into your pettiness. I have no desire to remove you from my school, but I will if I am forced to do so." _

_"Father..." Tamaki breathed, looking at the man somewhat gratefully. His heart buoyed by the man's support, but his happiness faded when a new voice joined the crowd. _

_"You will do no such thing, Yuzuru," a female voice said. "If you do, I'll be forced to remove you, and you know what that means." _

_The group turned in tandem to look at the double doors, and what they saw shocked them. Suou Miyako walked into the room slowly while staring down the men before her. The grand dame of the Suou empire looked regal and carried herself as such. There was no question that she was in charge of the Suou business and family life. _

_"Mother," Yuzuru returned, inclining his head respectfully as she walked into the room. The man offered nothing else but watched as his mother moved toward him. _

_"Hello, Grandmother," Tamaki greeted with a smile. His friends could see how forced the look was, but they knew he wouldn't do a thing to make her angry if he could help it. "How nice of you to join us. Would you care for some tea?" He walked over to meet the little woman, but she forestalled him by holding up a hand._

_"Stay away from me. I can't stand you being near me," she replied. "Have you figured out what you're going to do, Yuzuru? I don't like waiting for a man to make up his mind; it gets very old." _

_"Suou-san," Yoshio purred, striding over to take her hand and quickly press a kiss to the top. She yanked it away immediately. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence?"_

_"Ootori-san, do not think me foolish enough to believe there is nothing amiss between yourself and my foolish son," Miyako said. "Just seeing you here with my..." she paused before spitting the word out, "grandson... is enough to prove I was right in investigating my son's new activities." _

_At this point, the hosts were merely watching the sparks flying between the adults. Tamaki stood with a shocked look on his face; he knew his grandmother hated him, but she still surprised him with every cruel comment she made. However, the fact that she'd called him her grandson seemed to have boggled his mind completely if the look on his face was any indication. _

_Kyouya, though obviously angry and failing to mask it, made no move to enter the conversation. Instead, he stood with his notebook in hand, pen moving over the page with each word that was spoken. Takashi could only suppose he was gathering information to mull over later. _

_Hikaru and Kaoru moved slightly and aligned themselves next to Tamaki. The brothers were attempting to wake him up in the quietest of tones while warily watching the proceedings. At the same time, both Takashi and Mitsukuni were moving to try to calm the situation that had developed. However, neither of them knew quite how to do that. _

_"Honestly, Yuzuru, I can't believe you thought I'd be stupid enough not to realize you were up to something," Miyako was saying. "It's ludicrous, really, but trying to taint the Suou blood even further by pushing your son into marrying common filth, ridiculous. I'll have no more of this nonsense." _

_"Do not call Haruhi filth!" The voice was furious, sending shivers down Takashi's spine as he realized where the icy words originated. _

_"What did you say to me?" Miyako's shocked voice spoke volumes about her opinion on this matter as she turned to face the grandson she'd so coldly ignored earlier. "How dare you speak to me that way! I'll have you know..." _

_"No, grandmother," he cut her off with a furious slash of his hand, "how dare you." The voice that had risen in cold anger now dropped to an even more chilling low as Tamaki stepped forward to face his grandmother. _

_Miyako, never one to back down from a fight, took a step towards her grandson who was now towering over her. His face was serious, eyes burning with anger, but his stance was surprisingly relaxed. His hands were held loosely at his side, though his fingers were close to forming fists, and his legs were planted shoulder width apart. _

_Before anything else could be said on either side, however, Hikaru and Kaoru moved to flank Tamaki on either side. He neither acknowledged them nor looked away from his grandmother, but they knew he noticed them. _

_"Ahem," all eyes flew to Kyouya as he deliberately cleared his throat. "While this is truly fascinating, I believe things are getting out of hand. May I request that you all take seats and we continue this conversation then?" _

_"No," Tamaki said evenly. "I think Grandmother and Father were about to leave." He stared at the woman even as she glared at the impertinence of such a comment. Yuzuru, standing behind Miyako, was slightly appalled at the rage he saw in his son; he'd never imagined the boy would have this kind of reaction to hearing Haruhi insulted by his grandmother. _

_"This conversation isn't over," she replied indignantly. "You insolent boy, you don't even know what you're saying. How my foolish son could have bred such a rebellious and unruly brat like you I'll never know! But if you ever want to see your mother again, you'll listen to me, boy." _

_Tamaki, to his credit, never faltered as he said, "It's time for you to leave. You've been here long enough; we can discuss this at home."_

_"Why you...!" Once again, Miyako found herself cut off by a slash of Tamaki's hand. _

_"I will not allow you to stand here and insult Haruhi any longer, and I will not allow anyone who insults her to remain in the host club room," he said, anger lacing every word. "Now, kindly leave." Tamaki pointed to the door for emphasis. _

_As he said this, Mitsukuni and Takashi moved into action. Takashi walked sedately over to the door and held it open while Mitsukuni approached Miyako. _

_"Here," he said, "let me see you out." He offered his arm to the woman, but she ignored it and, turning, stalked out of the room without so much as a backwards glance. _

_Yuzuru continued staring at his son. Pulling himself from his trance, he looked at Tamaki solemnly before saying quietly, "Tamaki, we'll have to discuss this with your grandmother and soon." Tamaki nodded, turning away from his father. _

_Yuzuru quickly exited the room, knowing his mother would not have the car wait for him to arrive. _

_"Father, I think it's also time that you left," Kyouya now said, moving forward to escort Yoshio to the door. The man was looking at Tamaki with a kind of grudging acknowledgement at Tamaki's refusal to back down to Miyako. _

_"No, Kyouya," he said, eyes meeting those of his son, "we haven't talked yet. I won't allow you back out of this competition, nor will I allow you to call it off." He glared around the room at the boys who were looking angrier. "You are an Ootori, and you will act as such." _

_Kyouya looked mutinously at his father as he scathingly replied, "You mean I'll play dirty and force the conclusion I wish no matter who I hurt in the end? Like you did with Mother? With Neesan?" He paused, black eyes boring into his father, but the man only looked contemptuously at his youngest son. "Don't worry, Father," Kyouya's words were ice cold, "I'm not calling off the competition anytime soon. Remember? You gave me a challenge. And I never back down from a challenge." The temperature seemed to bottom out in the room as he said this. _

_Takashi wondered if Kyouya meant a verbal challenge or something more elusive, but knowing Kyouya, the hosts would have to wait to see what kind of challenge he was truly responding to. _

_"Ootori-san," Mitsukuni now took charge, "I think it would be best if you left now." The small boy inclined his head respectfully toward the older man but nonetheless led him to the door. _

_As soon as the door had shut, the twins turned on Kyouya as one nearly shouting, "What was that about? You never back down from a challenge?" _

_Tamaki quickly tried to placate the enraged twins by saying, "Kyouya was only trying to get his father to stop, I'm sure. You're looking at it all wrong, right, Kyouya?" _

_Kaoru nearly snapped at that. "Wake up, Milord! Kyouya's going after Haruhi just as hard as we are and certainly harder than you! And you still think you can win her over?" _

_"Yeah," Hikaru now stated evenly, "it's not like you actually tried to win her over, Milord. Are you just giving up and letting Kyouya have her? He's the one who's scheming behind our backs to find her without telling us anything!" _

_"I am not about to listen to you defame my mon ami like this," Tamaki, whose emotions had swirled from hurt to anger to rage throughout the conversation between the adults, now became deadly furious as he spoke to the twins. "You know nothing of what Kyouya has been doing; for all you know, he could be trying to help one of you get Haruhi! And I will not believe that he is scheming behind our backs! Kyouya is our friend!" _

_"But I have been scheming behind your back, Tamaki," Kyouya now said, his voice calm and even, as he locked eyes with his best friend. "However,..."_

_"There? You see! He's scheming to get Haruhi!" Hikaru's voice crackled with suppressed anger as he glared at the black-haired vice president. _

_Kaoru stood slightly shocked as he stared at his senpai. "He really did scheme to get Haruhi? I never realized that..." _

_"Stop." One word uttered by Takashi halted the swirling emotions and raised voices. The hosts looked as one to the two graduates, who were wearing serious expressions on their faces. _

_"Thank you, Takashi," Mitsukuni said gravely as he spared a small glance for his cousin. His gaze turned to survey the group in front of him. "That's enough." His voice, though subdued, carried the power and authority of one used to giving orders that were obeyed immediately. The four arguing friends forced themselves to calm down slightly when they faced an impassive Takashi and stubborn Mitsukuni._

_"Now, we'll need to discuss just what's happening around here," Mitsukuni said, sounding just a bit like Kyouya on one of his bad days. "Let's start with what happened between you all yesterday. And..." he added, forestalling the four who seemed to take a collective breath to speak, "we'll start with Tama-chan and go from there." _

_Slowly the story spilled out, starting with Tamaki's discovery of Kyouya's intent to catch Haruhi in Karuizawa and ending with the events of the afternoon. Mitsukuni gave each host a chance to speak. However the twins ended up talking over one another, still more comfortable speaking as one than individually. The story eventually came to a close an hour later as Mitsukuni and Takashi sat in stunned silence. _

_"I don't even know where to begin," Mitsukuni admitted tiredly. "There are just so many things. What your fathers are plotting," he said, indicating Kyouya and Tamaki. "What made Haruhi run away. Where she is now. What your intentions are towards her. Who's plotting what." He shook his head distractedly as he worked to organize these new facts._

_"I think," Kyouya began quietly, waiting for everyone to acknowledge him, "that I should explain some of my actions with my father." Now the group was listening attentively. "Yes, my father did challenge me to win Haruhi from Tamaki." The latter looked surprised to hear this. "And, yes, I did scheme to find Haruhi, but..." he added before Hikaru could speak, "I was trying to find her before my father. Not before the rest of you." _

_"Then why did you try to go to Karuizawa without us?" Hikaru asked the question, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. _

_Kyouya sighed and explained, "I truly did think Haruhi would run if all of us came to Karuizawa to get her back. In the past, we've had rather loud experiences in Karuizawa as a group and have become somewhat of peculiarities that come into town. People know our group there," he said, looking pointedly at the twins and Tamaki. "If all of us showed up, news would get around before we could confront Haruhi, and she'd be gone in a flash." _

_Even the twins had to acknowledge Kyouya's accuracy at this. He was right, and it wasn't something any of them could even begin to argue. So they acquiesced on the point, but the twins still looked rather suspicious of the vice president. _

_"I guess the next question," Mitsukuni suddenly said, "is what your intentions are towards Haru-chan." His eyes narrowed slightly as he took a protective stance in front of the boys. "I don't think she ran away because she wanted to take a vacation; I think Ranka-san was right about you guys." _

_Tamaki looked at his senpai apprehensively as he asked, "What do you mean Ranka-san was right about us?" _

_"He was right that you all are trying to win Haruhi like a prize rather than fall for her," Mitsukuni bluntly stated. "But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. What do you feel for Haru-chan?" _

_Suddenly Tamaki found the floor to be a rather interesting specimen. His eyes were glazed a bit as he studied the patterned carpet. Kyouya was taking notes in the ever-present black notebook; though it seemed his notes were not anything important because his pen swirled and dipped in patterns that looked nothing like kanji. The twins looked at one another, searching out each other's faces anxiously. _

_"Mitsukuni." Everyone looked up as Takashi spoke. Mitsukuni must have understood what he meant because he nodded. Then Takashi continued, "It would be wise of you to examine your feelings and figure out what it is you want from Haruhi before she returns. That should be your focus right now." _

_"Actually, Mori-senpai," Kyouya interrupted, inclining his head at the older boy, "I think our focus should be on finding Haruhi. I agree that figuring out our emotions is a priority, but it would be prudent for us to find her before our fathers do something drastic. I believe they were here to remind us of just what's at stake."_

_Mitsukuni nodded sagely, saying, "You're probably right, Kyou-chan, but I think it would be good for everyone to think about what you feel for Haruhi at the same time as we search for her. That way you won't scare her away again when she gets back." He glared at his friends for good measure before continuing, "You need to stop this competition until you figure out what's going on in your own hearts, don't you think?" _

_Tamaki decided to speak up, "That's a good plan, Hunny-senpai. I think we should call off the competition until we know what it is we feel for our precious Haruhi. Otherwise we'll just end up hurting her." His face held an inscrutable expression as he looked soberly around the room. "Perhaps we could call a truce in favor of finding Haruhi and discovering our own feelings?" He made the offer hopefully, glancing at the rest of the hosts anxiously. _

_Slowly, ever so slowly, they nodded. First Kyouya, then Kaoru, and finally, finally a still angry Hikaru. Mitsukuni smiled happily; he didn't like to see his friends angry with one another, and he was still worried about Haruhi. The group made plans to begin searching all the likely locations they could think of as soon as possible. It wasn't much, but they had to do something, even though none of them could really think of any likely locations now that she had abandoned Karuizawa. No one mentioned this, but they all felt a little disappointed that she had gotten away from them once again. _

_The rest of the week passed quickly. They'd split up into groups of twos to go searching for Haruhi. It was a long shot in the dark that they ended up searching almost every place they'd visited as a group: the Ootori rehabilitative water park, Nekozawa's beach home, various places around the commoner market, Misuzu's ex-wife's home where Mei surprisingly told them she already knew about their missing host, and every other place they could remember. Deep inside they knew it was too much to be hoped for that they would actually find her at any of those places, but they still searched. _

_A strange sense of despondency stole over the members of the group, landing more heavily on Tamaki than the rest. The light-haired host took Haruhi's absence personally and felt wholly responsible for having frightened her away. By the end of the week, he was looking thinner, having foregone several meals in favor of spending more time searching; however, what worried Takashi was the sense of loss Tamaki seemed to breathe as he went about his business. _

_That was why it surprised him on Friday when he and Mitsukuni made their way to the host club in time to see Tamaki tearing down the stairs like a man on a mission. The two cousins stopped and stared, Mitsukuni unable to catch the host's eyes or get a response from him as he ran off. Walking into the Third Music Room, the two looked at their equally surprised friends and wondered what was going on as they heard thunder rumbling in the distance._

Haruhi took a deep breath after finishing the last of the chapter. She really needed to start cutting Mori's chapters shorter; the man really was too detail oriented for her liking. Glancing down at the girls, she realized they'd once again fallen asleep in the same bed. While it was an adorable sight, she knew they would complain about it in the morning, so she climbed off the bed and shook Kabuki's shoulder gently.

"Come to bed," she whispered when the little girl sleepily roused. Taking her daughter by the hand, she helped her out of bed before padding quietly out of the room.

In the hallway, Haruhi winced as she heard raised voices coming from the music room. She didn't realize the guys were going to stay so long, and she hurried Kabuki across the hall to her bedroom, hoping to keep the little girl from hearing the men. Once Kabuki was safely in bed with her Cinderella shaped nightlight plugged in, Haruhi kissed her gently on the forehead before going out to see what was going on with the men.

She walked to the music room quietly, not out of stealth but through long habit. The door was cracked, and she could hear her husband and friends arguing about something.

"I'm telling you she's trying to find an heir, and you're not it," Kyouya's angry voice sounded in the room. He only let his temper go around his friends, Haruhi knew, and she shuddered slightly in remembrance of the formidable shadow king.

"It doesn't matter," Tamaki now said calmly. "I never wanted to be the heir, and you know it. Besides, I already have a good job; what more can I ask for?"

"Milord," Hikaru's voice whined, "why aren't you listening to Kyouya? You have a chance to get the life you never had! Why don't you take it?!" Haruhi knew Hikaru must be bordering on furious at this point; he only called Tamaki 'Milord' when he was angry now.

"I am doing what I want to do," Tamaki's tightly controlled voice surprised her with its intensity. "I did what I had to do to protect the ones I love. I did what I had to do to follow my dreams. Now why should I crawl back to her after what she did to us?" His voice was almost a hiss, and Haruhi held herself back a bit, feeling positive she knew exactly who he was talking about.

"But don't you think you need to resolve this, Tamaki?" Kaoru's gentle voice reached her ears, and she wondered at what point the twins became so mature. "It's obviously still eating away at you, but you aren't doing anything about it. Do you really want to poison your life like this?"

"You're only going to hurt yourself and your family if this keeps up," Kyouya told his friend kindly. "Why don't you talk to her about it? You never know what she'll say. It's been years, Tamaki; people change, you know. _You_ changed."

"Don't," the king's strangled voice choked out. He sounded almost enraged as he said, "Don't patronize me, Kyouya. You _know_ what she did to us! You _know,_ Kyouya! How dare you ask me to speak to that woman after all she did to break us apart!"

"It's just a suggestion, Tamaki," Kyouya soothed, and Haruhi could almost hear the patience wearing thin. "You don't have to do anything about it if you don't want to, but I do think it would be wise to resolve some of your issues before it's too late. You know what's happening to her; I know she doesn't deserve forgiveness, but perhaps some closure would help both of you."

Haruhi was confused. She snuck back to the master bedroom wondering what that conversation had been about. While she knew who her husband and friends had been talking about, she didn't know exactly what their conversation meant. Realizing she'd probably missed out on the vitals of the chat, Haruhi decided sleep was in order. She didn't want this baby thinking insomnia would be a fun punishment to inflict on her; though she'd suffered through it in the past.

Sighing softly, she pulled the nightgown over her head. Haruhi laid down, pulling the covers up and over her body, before determining that she would get answers soon, if not from her husband than most certainly from her friends. With that thought, she fell into a restful sleep.

...

**A/N: Well, well, well...a rather...dramatic chapter, I think. At least, in terms of dialogue, I think it was dramatic. And, I'm sure you were all surprised when I didn't immediately go into the chapter concerning the host who found Haruhi. That happens next chapter; though, after re-reading parts of this chapter, I think I need to work out some kinks in the next one to make it flow with what this one said. Oh well. **

**I'm not sure about the hosts in this chapter. I was worried about Tamaki and the twins a bit; if you find them out of character, let me know. Oh, and I love, love, love coming up with names for Tamaki's grandmother! It makes me smile, and if you can tell me what Miyako means, you get a cookie. LOL. **

**We're getting some new action in the present-day story, and I'm sure I surprised some of you with Tama's outburst. He's had a rough life since high school, and we haven't even started delving into that, but I do plan on developing this story beyond just the 'Haruhi gets together with x-host' part. There's lots more to come, and...in the next chapter, I'm unveiling the Host Wives Club for your reading pleasure!! (I've got a great surprise up my sleeve on that one...hopefully something you won't be expecting!)**

**With that said, thank you all for reviewing and continuing to encourage me by reading this little story of mine. I appreciate all the comments I get and love to hear from you all! I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and again, I have to thank jcyz for editing. So...I hope you've enjoyed, and I'll try to get back soon with the next chapter!**

**Until next time...**

**-Rae-**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'd like to extend a massive apology to all of you who have been so patiently waiting for an update on this story. I'm sorry for taking so long, but I'll go ahead and tell you that it was very difficult to write this chapter, and add on top of that my preparations to go and my trip to Italy for almost a month, well... I didn't have much time to get this finished for you guys. So I'm very sorry, and I hope you'll forgive me for my silence. I also hope you'll enjoy this next chapter where I've introduced the Host Wives Club for the first time ever! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing owned, nothing earned. Entertainment purposes only. Thanks!**

**Or So They Say: Chapter Thirteen**

By: Rae

-An "Ouran High School Host Club" Fanfic-

He'd been gone for two days now, and Haruhi was annoyed. Not only did he get to skip out on the start of her morning sickness, but he also got away without answering her questions about what was going on. She was halfway tempted to call up her friends and corner them with her demands, but since it was the monthly meeting, she decided not to bother.

Despite herself, Haruhi found that she was, in fact, enjoying being with the other women as they laughed and talked. They always got together like this once a month and enjoyed their time together. As a joke, she asked them one month if they wanted to hear the hosts' story, and so it became tradition to meet each month and end their luncheon with a chapter from her rather ever-present journal.

Now, however, she was sitting between Renge and Chizuru. The two were laughing as Chizuru handed baby Hinako over to Reiko, who had, surprisingly enough, married Hunny-senpai shortly after she graduated from Ouran. Next to Reiko was a sedate Eclair, and on her other side sat Rin.

Looking around, Haruhi had to admit they were an eclectic group. She never would have expected to be friends with Eclair after what had happened her first year of high school. Nor did she ever think Renge would marry one of the hosts; after her rather eccentric entrance into their group, Haruhi figured Renge would simply end up on the outside looking in.

And both Chizuru and Rin were interesting additions to the group as well. They were the only girls who hadn't been a part of Ouran's legacy, and they were also married to the most random of hosts. Chizuru, Haruhi accepted, had definitely caught Mori's heart the moment he rescued her. Everyone had enjoyed watching the gentle giant become wrapped around the girl's little finger. They loved her because she was the sweetest girl they'd ever met, despite having had such horrible things happen to her.

Rin, on the other hand, had been a prickly one, having met them after high school. It was a weird circumstance that she'd latched onto Haruhi and told off all the guys in succession. It didn't matter that two of them were already involved and another was infatuated; Rin wasn't about to let any man near her heart. It was for that very reason that the host she married was able to woo her, and after he swept her off her feet, the friends saw a totally changed and decidedly _not_ cold Rin emerge.

Reiko, for her part, was the only obvious one in the group. Haruhi could have bet on her being a part of the group simply because Reiko and Hunny-senpai had become such incredible friends. Hunny was the first person to view Reiko not as a Black Magic Club Member or a curse-wielding goth. Because he showed her how to relate to others and gave her the opportunity to open up, Reiko was a total goner. After his graduation, she'd been devastated, having to watch him go off to college without her. But she was always in the host clubroom on days he came back, scaring off most of his designators with her pointed looks and spooky demeanor.

The two had become close enough that Hunny finally admitted he wasn't sure how he felt about her. Haruhi was there the day Hunny told Reiko he couldn't figure out his emotions. He'd grown taller and was now a few inches taller than the dark girl, and she used that to her advantage.

"Mitsukuni," she whispered, looking up at him through her bangs, "why don't I help you figure out your feelings?"

Haruhi still found it amusing that Hunny had fallen, literally fallen, to the ground when she said what she did. The girls had exchanged glances before Reiko promised to help him learn what it was he thought of her. Apparently, she hadn't been the queen of maledictions for nothing; the girl was a regular shoujo freak, having devoured almost every popular romance manga that was out. Hunny never stood a chance.

That relationship, Haruhi thought, was why Hunny had changed into the protective person he was. Reiko brought out the desire to protect and defend in Hunny-senpai, and because of her influence, he'd changed into a person who would defend anyone in need, especially those who were a part of his 'family' of relatives and friends.

"So how are you feeling?" Renge was asking Reiko. The black haired woman was rubbing her stomach absently as she listened to the conversations around her.

"Oh, I'm okay," Reiko said with a small smile. "Some days it's better than others, you know?"

"I thought I was going to die those first few months," Chizuru laughingly said. "But after the first trimester, the morning sickness went away, and I only suffered a bit of nausea."

Reiko was pregnant with Hunny-senpai's first child. He was thrilled. Making sure to be there every step of the way, he encouraged his wife and helped her with whatever she needed. They'd been trying to get pregnant for a few years now, so this first pregnancy was really exciting to the couple.

"Morning sickness was not my friend," Haruhi agreed with Chizuru's assessment. "I thought it would never end, but then again, I think you had it worse, Chizuru."

The group laughed, remembering their three meetings during Chizuru's first trimester. The woman had run out of the room several times to lose her lunch during the course of their luncheon. By the time they were ready to leave for the day, Chizuru had to call Mori to come pick her up due to her unsteady legs and rolling stomach.

"It was like being seasick after getting food poisoning," Chizuru remarked, smiling as she retrieved her daughter from Renge. "But it's totally worth it."

"Come to think of it, Haruhi," Eclair now said, "we weren't around for your pregnancies. You only had your husband and the hosts to deal with. What was that like?"

Haruhi grimaced, remembering her husband's overzealousness with a tinge of amusement. "It was awful," she answered. "They wouldn't leave me alone! All of them were all over me the whole time, and even though Reiko and Renge tried to shoo them away, they kept hovering over me like I was going to do a magic trick if they watched long enough."

The women laughed at this description. "But what's worse," Haruhi continued, getting into her story, "was Dad. He kept coming over to the house after work to visit. It took the maids a while to realize he was really a guy, and they kept offering to make up a guest room so my mother could stay the night!"

Rin was laughing so hard she snorted, and that caused the others to go into gales of laughter again. Haruhi giggled at the camaraderie and wondered how she'd lived without this kind of hilarity in her life. Having these women as her friends was such a blessing, she thought, because they truly were an amazing group to be around.

Despite her connections to the hosts and the history they'd shared, there were no hard feelings on the parts of any of them. In fact, even Eclair agreed that Haruhi was the glue that held the little family together. While it surprised her, Haruhi had to like Eclair for her wit and intelligence; she was the perfect fit to round out their group, and since she'd been the last of the women to join the wives club, the two had agreed to let bygones be bygones.

Of course, she remembered the coldness and tension the woman brought with her. The fact that her marriage was more or less one of convenience and not loving had kept her aloof and removed from the happiness the other women shared. It had taken the better part of a year for Eclair to come out of her shell, but when she did, the rest of the women became good friends with her because she truly wasn't as bad as she seemed. And her marriage had saved two of the families involved from disastrous fates, so Haruhi couldn't hold the past against her.

"All right, Haruhi," Rin now said, looking at her with a glint in her eyes, "it's your turn to spill. One secret, remember?"

The Host Wives Club had a policy of sharing one secret with each other during their time together. Each month they'd share another secret, and this allowed them to deepen their friendships. However, the secrets got more and more outrageous as the meetings continued.

Haruhi thought for a minute. "Well, I guess I'll tell this," she finally said. The women settled in for a new secret. "When I was in my second year of college," she said, "I almost dropped out of school. I had the paperwork filled out and was planning out where I was going to move and trying to find a job that could provide for me." The women, several of them completely dumbfounded, gasped. "I was on my way to the dean's office to submit the paperwork when I got a phone call that stopped me."

"Well," Eclair finally said when Haruhi didn't speak, "who was it? What did they say?" The woman was a bit too curious for her own good sometimes.

Haruhi grinned at her friends before saying, "That's a secret!" They all groaned at her poor joke. "C'mon, guys," she said, "I can't give away all my secrets yet. Isn't it enough that I'm reading our story?"

"Oh," Chizuru said as she rocked Hinako to sleep, "that's right! We've got another chapter to read, don't we?"

While most of the wives had heard the story through their husbands, they all found it interesting to hear the journal read. Some of them wanted to hear their husbands' writing because it intrigued them, and others found the different viewpoints a fascinating part of the tale.

Haruhi pulled out the notebook and opened it to the chapter she'd read to the girls just the other night. "This one was written by Tamaki," she said, looking around the room at the expectant faces.

"Remind us where we left off, Haruhi," Eclair said. She always had Haruhi recap the "story thus far" so no one would be confused.

"In the last chapter," Haruhi began as everyone settled deeper into their seats to be more comfortable, "Mori talked about what the guys were doing while I was off at Saint Roberia's. The twins turned against Kyouya because of his decision to come after me alone, and both Yuzuru and Yoshio were putting suspicions into the guys' heads about one another. At the end of the chapter, Tamaki ran out of the host club on Friday."

"To find you," Renge smilingly put in.

Haruhi grinned. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." The rest of the women laughed at her poor attempt at suspense. "Now," she continued, "shall I start the next chapter?" They all nodded the affirmative. Holding open the book, Haruhi began.

_Tamaki was terrified. He'd been searching for Haruhi for days now, not taking any food if he felt he might be able to find his precious Haruhi during lunch or dinner hours. He would wake up feeling nauseated and not eat breakfast, and his maids had been worried for his health as his searching became obsessive. Losing sleep, he even went out in the wee hours of the night, calling a night taxi in order to allow his chauffeur to sleep._

_Now that Friday had come, he was growing frantic. They hadn't seen Haruhi in almost two weeks, and he couldn't help feeling that with her absence something vital had been ripped from his heart. It took Hunny-senpai's questions about how he felt for her to knock some sense into Tamaki, and now he knew that he cared for her, more than just as a father. _

_Realization took place as he looked at a rare picture of her. It was rare because the photo was of her with Tamaki alone as opposed to one of their many group pictures. He'd had the picture taken on their third date because he knew she'd be happy with his choices, and he'd been right. _

_Tamaki had taken Haruhi to a small sea shack on the docks that he'd found during one of his commoner research trips. It was a cheap restaurant that served fresh fish caught right off the boats each day, and Tamaki found they had the most incredible sushi and even some spectacular ootoro (for a commoner restaurant). _

_The date had been a turning point in his feelings for the small hostess, and Tamaki knew it was only confusing him more to watch her date the others while his feelings were so muddled. In the picture, Tamaki and Haruhi grinned, Tamaki at the camera, Haruhi at the host club king as they held up forks full of ootoro toward the camera. It was one of the photos he cherished, and Haruhi had even requested a copy when he showed his to her. _

_He went home after the fight between the twins and Kyouya feeling more and more upset. What Hunny said struck a chord in Tamaki, and he wanted more than anything to figure out what he felt for Haruhi. He made up his mind not to pursue her until he figured out if he cared for her as more than just a father for his daughter. But as he sat on his bed that night, he knew there was something flawed in his father-daughter ideal. Glancing at his bedside table, he saw the framed photograph that sat there and picked it up, stroking his index finger over the figure of Haruhi. _

_Then he remembered something strange. He'd overheard the twins talking one time about him, and instead of bursting into their conversation like always, he stood back around the corner and listened. Something Kaoru said that had confused him at the time came back to him as he looked at the photo. _

_'You know Hikaru, Milord thinks we'll always be the same happy family with him as the father and Kyouya as the father, but it won't be long before everything changes and Milord's ideal falls apart. When that happens, he won't be able to handle it, and the carriage will turn back into a pumpkin once more.'_

_Hikaru had made a snarky comment, but now Tamaki could only think about that short bit of information Kaoru had given him. His head swam with the implications of the twin's insight, and he realized that he'd forced his familial ties on the host club, essentially creating roles for them to fill in order to make him happy. Because he'd never felt the love of a complete family, Tamaki knew, he wanted to create a happy family to be a part of. Now that he was in a competition for Haruhi's affections, the roles were changing, and Tamaki recognized that he needed to understand himself before he could understand what role his friends should be playing._

_After taking the time to consider his relationship with Haruhi, Tamaki began a campaign, secretly, to analyze all the possibilities for how he felt for her. Putting together a list, he began to look at each potential relationship and see how he and Haruhi applied. Beginning with acquaintances, he moved up the scale, getting closer and closer to the most intimate of relationships. _

_Determining that he was well past acquaintances with Haruhi, Tamaki began to consider his friendship with her. The senpai-kouhai relationship had obviously proven a barrier to their friendship in the past; Tamaki well remembered the incident in Karuizawa with Arai-kun, but, at the same time, he understood that things had progressed from there, and he felt they were no longer just senpai and kouhai. As friends, their relationship had developed rather well, and she'd shown her trust in him by allowing him to see her weaknesses and humbling herself to apologize to him when she'd hurt him in the past. However, their recent relationship had even changed beyond just the comfortable waters of friendship, Tamaki thought._

_So he looked at the familial ties he'd begun putting together. Having never had a sibling, he wasn't quite sure about the brother-sister aspect of families, but looking at the twins, Tamaki was positive he didn't have a sibling relationship with Haruhi. That left him with the conflicting familial positions of either father-daughter or husband-wife. _

_For an entire year, Tamaki had called Haruhi his daughter and pretended to be her father. Questions from Kasanoda-kun and derision from the twins had left him confused, and his own grip on that reality shifted in a major way when the competition began. Now he thought it wasn't possible to have that kind of relationship with Haruhi when he was also trying to date her. But he was very attached to that reality, and that left Tamaki feeling conflicted and empty inside. _

_Looking back at the dates, Tamaki realized how much fun he'd had with Haruhi. Instead of doing the things he was taught to do with girls-- take them to balls, go dancing with them, treat them to fancy dinners and elaborate teas-- Tamaki tried different things with his precious Haruhi, things he'd always felt were exciting and unusual but that brought simple pleasure to both of them. Their first date had been a walk through some of the more scenic areas of Tokyo, followed by a picnic in a park near her apartment. He'd never forget Haruhi's tinkling laughter as he sat very still when a butterfly landed on his nose. _

_It was moments like those when Haruhi smiled at just him with a joyful look in her eyes that made Tamaki's heart beat a little faster. Moments like those had him questioning how he felt about her because he knew a father shouldn't be feeling this way about his daughter, nor a friend that way about his friend. _

_That was why Tamaki was now panicking at the end of class on Friday. The weather called for storms, and he knew that she would be all alone if even Ranka-san didn't know where she was. Tamaki couldn't stand the thought that Haruhi would be alone for an entire storm, especially after he'd promised to be there for her. _

_When he walked to the clubroom that afternoon, he made a beeline for the window, looking for some indication of coming rain and praying the weather report was wrong. The skies to the west were clear, but as he shifted his eyes to the right, he could see the growing darkness building out towards sea and knew the clouds were headed their way. _

_Even though he didn't know where Haruhi was, something in Tamaki felt she was in Tokyo, and he couldn't help wondering if she was just under their noses. As the twins and Kyouya began setting up for the day, he continued to stare out to the east, waiting for some indication of what he should do. Then he heard it: a dim rumbling coming from far off that caused a chill to race down his spine. Whirling around, Tamaki raced out of the room, not even pausing to listen to the twins calling him and not noticing his senpais coming up the stairs to the clubroom. _

_After clearing the gates of the school, Tamaki began running west, thinking Haruhi would want to be as far from the storm as she could get. He pulled up short when he heard a car honking behind him. Turning he saw his limo race down the street after him. _

_"Tamaki-sama," the driver began once he'd parked the car and gotten out, "please allow me to come with you to search for Fujioka-san. You will go faster in the car, sir." _

_Tamaki stood a moment in indecision before nodding. The man quickly opened the door and allowed his master to enter the car. Getting back into the still running car, the driver awaited orders. _

_"Go to the westernmost commoner's market, Laori-san," Tamaki said. "I'll walk around there until it begins to storm." _

_The drive took twenty minutes, and once he'd arrived, Tamaki hopped out of the car before Laori could open his door. He'd already ordered the man to park somewhere nearby and wait for him to call, so the car sped away after he turned to the market. Tamaki walked with confidence through the throngs of people hurrying to get their shopping finished before the storm hit. He'd been to this market before on one of his commoner research trips, and luckily, he'd been able to drag Haruhi along to give him some direction. _

_He walked past shop after shop and eventually found himself in the center of the market where the 'designer' stores were. Haruhi had told him most of the commoners either came to stare and 'window shop,' something Tamaki had found most amusing, or bought expensive items for a rare special occasion. He'd witnessed several commoners entering shops and coming out with labeled bags from some of the nicer brands of foods, clothing, and accessories, and while he wouldn't consider them designer, the commoners seemed quite pleased with their purchases._

_Finding a seat, he decided to watch the people for a few minutes. There were several people in this area, and for some reason Tamaki was drawn to the nearby stores. He nostalgically felt reminded of his beloved France in the way the stores were designed, but at the same time, he needed a breather after having rushed to the center of the shops._

_Looking around, he watched several younger girls running from store to store holding hands. They were probably middle school aged, and he grinned as they pointed with awe-filled faces at the clothes in one of the shops. A blur of white passed them, and his eyes followed the school uniform of the girl passing by. She was wearing the Saint Roberia uniform that Tamaki so dreaded, and he began to look past her when he realized that it was strange for a girl from such a prestigious school to be in the commoner's market, even if she was going to the 'designer' grocery store. _

_He watched her enter and waited for her to come back out. When she did, he first noticed her long, brown hair and ruled her out. Then he saw her eyes. They were the same big, brown eyes that had beguiled him from the moment he saw her without her glasses, and Tamaki felt his heartbeat speed up. His eyes gazed over her face and then dropped to her neckline where he saw a rather familiar necklace and realized with a start that this was indeed Haruhi. _

_Taking a moment to compose himself, Tamaki realized how stupid they all were not to consider Saint Roberia's. Then he saw Haruhi was walking back the way he'd come to the commoner's market. She was taking the long way to the bus stop where she could go back to the school, he noted. Seeing the black clouds moving in much faster now, Tamaki resolved to stop her from making her way back to Saint Roberia and the Zuka Club's protection. _

_Running down the opposite direction, Tamaki quickly called his driver and ordered him to come to the western end of the market. There he climbed into the car and sat anxiously as the man drove him over to Saint Roberia's, a very short drive from that part of the market. He knew they must have arrived before Haruhi, so Tamaki hopped out of the car and sent his driver down to a nearby parking lot where he was to await further instruction._

_Now came the hard part. Tamaki had to decide if he should await Haruhi outside the gates or inside. He noticed that no one was wandering around the area, and he wondered if that meant he could find a way inside easier; however, his last encounter with the Zuka Club left him wary. Seeing the gate was open, Tamaki decided to find a place inside near the gate where he could easily watch Haruhi's entry. _

_Parking himself near the faux statues of lions that guarded the girls of Saint Roberia's, Tamaki sat on a small bench and waited for her to appear. Five minutes passed as he sat, and he began to get rather anxious, wondering if she'd somehow managed to beat him there. When ten minutes had almost passed, he stood, running a hand through his hair agitatedly. That's when he saw her walk into the courtyard. His heart sped up as he considered how to approach her, and he nearly raced over to her when she lost hold of her bag and had to bend over to collect the items that fell from it. Just then, thunder struck in the distance and his chance was lost as Haruhi dropped her bag and raced toward the nearest door. _

_All doubt as to her identity was instantly gone as Tamaki ran after her, not daring to call her name so as not to disturb her. He noted absently that they were running into the school theater where he'd witnessed that horrid Zuka Club play so many months before. The two entered the building, and Tamaki slowed to watch where his hostess was headed. _

_Once she'd reached relative safety, Tamaki began his pursuit, being careful not to shield his footsteps. When she looked up to see who was coming her way, he felt certain she couldn't see him. _

_Waiting only until he reached the edge of the balcony where the light would fall upon him, Tamaki finally, hesitantly, called out to her, "Haruhi?"_

_Even from his place near the back of the theater, he could see her fear, and wanting to alleviate that, he moved to the center of the theater and took a seat, not uttering another word until he could see how she would respond to him._

_Haruhi curled into a little ball underneath the table on the stage and stared at Tamaki, who, to his credit, did not flinch away from her gaze. A full five minutes passed before she asked, "How did you find me?" _

_"I was looking for you in the market when I saw a girl from Saint Roberia's pass me to enter one of the shops," he said simply, not daring to move and in fact settling in more comfortably. _

_She looked at him quizzically for a moment and then smiled a little. "You saw me at the commoner's market? How did you recognize me?" She fingered the wig perched haphazardly on her head. _

_"Your eyes," he replied. Feeling emboldened, he stared at her as he said, "I've never seen eyes as big or as brown as yours, Haruhi. When I saw your eyes, I knew it had to be you."_

_Haruhi looked a bit confused as she searched his eyes for something, but being so far away, she found herself lost in shadows. She could only utter one question, one word as she unconsciously moved out from under the table to the edge of the stage, drawing closer to the man who had come for her. "Why?"_

_Tamaki smiled as he slowly stood. Before answering, he walked up toward the stage, being careful to not make any sudden movements as he approached his precious Haruhi._

_When he stood only a few feet from the stage, Tamaki stopped and softly answered, "Because I promised to be with you through the storms." He walked to the stage and levered himself up to sit next to her, not touching her but offering support. "I won't let you be afraid alone, Haruhi," he now said. _

_Not sure how to respond, Haruhi sat nervously next to the host club king; she clasped her hands together and kicked her feet awkwardly as she tried to find something to say to such a profound declaration of his caring. She couldn't decide if he was being serious or simply trying to woo her into a state of comfort so he could take her back to Ouran and the horrible competition between the hosts. _

_Now that he was so close to her, Tamaki couldn't stop the quickening pace of his heart beat. Her scent was that of roses, and her eyes, so lovely before, were beguiling him with their swiftly changing emotional depths. He felt himself holding back, trying not to reach out to her, though he desperately longed to hold her. It was only now that he'd found her after two weeks away from her that Tamaki realized how long it had been since he'd touched Haruhi, and he couldn't quite stop himself from reaching a hand over to graze the top of her knuckles where she held her hands clasped in her lap._

_Haruhi jumped at the contact, not taking her eyes from the fingertips brushing her knuckles. Tamaki was silent, and she couldn't figure out what he was thinking from the way his fingers moved so gently. It was unlike him to have such a calming affect on her, and it was downright shocking to not have him jump her and wrap his arms around her like she was some kind of stuffed doll. _

_Before either of them could figure out what was going on, thunder struck again, louder this time, and Haruhi nearly leapt into Tamaki's arms. When moments passed in silence once more, the two backed slightly away from one another, and Haruhi blushed at her rather compromising position, sitting squarely in the king's lap as he wrapped his arms around her. _

_"Haruhi," Tamaki whispered, feeling himself to be in a rather magical moment, "won't you come back to us? We've called off the competition until further notice, and we miss you terribly in the host club. We've been looking for you night and day."_

_Haruhi stared at him in shock before asking, "Did your fathers agree to calling off the competition?" _

_"No," he regrettably replied, "we decided to call it off on our own. Kyouya, the twins, and I are not going to pursue you any longer. We realize how much we must have hurt you through our actions, and we're sorry." _

_"But what about your fathers? Won't they force you right back into the competition once I arrive back home?" She was no fool, and Haruhi could tell how deeply the rivalry between the Suou and Ootori heads ran. Her questions were not made in vain. _

_Tamaki sighed before saying, "I don't know, Haruhi. I'm not sure what Father will do to me, but I do know that I won't bow to his wishes. Hunny-senpai was right, and I want to take the time to figure out my feelings before I continue to pursue you. More than anything, Haruhi, I want you to be happy, and I won't allow myself to cause you any more pain." _

_His voice had risen as he said this, and his eyes glazed with a fire that was borne of his determination to see his task through to the end. Haruhi could scarcely believe that Tamaki would not continue to compete for her and halfway wondered if it would last only long enough for the twins to begin goading him again._

_Before she could voice her concerns, however, a new voice joined the two. _

_"Hina-chan?" Chizuru asked as she entered the theater. "Benio was getting worried about you, and I..." She broke off awkwardly as she took in the scene in front of her. _

_Tamaki and Haruhi scrambled away from one another, both jumping down from the stage to stand guiltily in front of the surprised Zuka Club member._

_"I can see you're a bit busy," Chizuru now said. "I'll go tell Benio that you were tied up at the store and had a bit of trouble." She turned to go and then paused to lay a bag in one of the seats. "By the way, you dropped the tea, Hina-chan."_

_"No, Chizuru-san, wait," Haruhi called, stopping the older girl in her tracks. "Please give me a moment to explain." _

_Giving a large sigh, Chizuru turned and walked back to the couple now standing closer together. "It's not really that much of a surprise," she said. "Well, he is, but this isn't." _

_"What do you mean?" Haruhi asked, feeling confused by the cryptic remark. _

_"I mean that I knew one of them would have to find you," Chizuru replied languidly. "It would have to be the one who wouldn't stop searching for you, the one who cared for you more than the rest," she continued. "I just didn't think he'd be that one."_

_The two stared at one another, Tamaki blushing a deep red after the girl's comments. _

_"Besides," Chizuru went on, "you wouldn't have been able to stay here for much longer anyway, Haruhi. Hinako and I have already been having to keep some of the girls away from you; they all want to get you away from Benio, and she won't have that."_

_Haruhi looked at Chizuru with new respect for the older girl as she said, "So you two have been protecting me?" The senpai nodded. "Thank you for that, and thank Hinako for me as well. I'm not sure that I'm leaving quite yet, though. I haven't figured out what I should do yet." _

_Chizuru nodded again, carefully ignoring the crestfallen look on Tamaki's face. "I understand Haruhi," she said. "But you should know that Benio will not appreciate his being here with you. She'll feel hurt that you chose to listen to this man after all he's done to you, especially after she offered you our help." _

_Tamaki's eyes were carefully shielded by the time Chizuru finished speaking, and he now spoke, "I don't want to force anything on you, Haruhi, but we do want you to come back to the host club. I can't promise you the others will respect your feelings all the time, but I will do my best to keep you happy and to make you feel back at home with us."_

_He paused a moment before speaking and then, taking a deep breath, said, "I want you to come back to us, Haruhi, but if you feel more comfortable staying here for the time being, I won't press you. I won't tell the others that I found you, and I'll wait for you to come back home. It's your call, Haruhi."_

_Staring between Tamaki, the one who'd brought her into the host club and given her a place of belonging in the uber-rich Ouran Academy, and Chizuru, a girl who had taken her in and protected her when she had nowhere else to go, Haruhi was torn. She'd become somewhat comfortable in the Saint Roberia's world, but at the same time, she missed Ouran, her home, and most of all, the crazy hosts. Not only was this a very different Tamaki from the one who'd claimed her as his daughter, but for some reason, Haruhi was drawn to him as she suddenly heard thunder in the distance once more. _

_A booming crash caused Haruhi to leap once more towards Tamaki, who was, to his credit, standing next to her but facing Chizuru with a surprising calm. He turned to her to calm her fears, but was unable to do so as Haruhi reigned in her fear, not wanting to show it to Chizuru. Unfortunately, she couldn't fool the girl, and Chizuru merely raised an eyebrow before speaking. _

_"I do believe, Haruhi-chan," she began, "that you might want to reconsider leaving with this one. He's become different from the last time we met... he seems...a bit more mature now. I don't think he would appreciate it if you stayed here, and even if he says he respects your decisions, he would be hurt if you chose to remain here." _

_Haruhi glared at Chizuru, not wanting to admit that she was right. "I don't think I can handle being around the rest of the host club right now," she stubbornly said, while refraining from clutching Tamaki's arm as the storm rolled in. It was a fight to keep from going crazy with fear as she strained to focus on the conversation and ignore the growing thunder. _

_"I don't know what to tell you, Haruhi," Tamaki now said, looking grieved. "I would say that you could just stay at home for a while, but Father and Ootori-san have posted people around the apartments to make sure Ranka-san isn't lying about your not being there. I tried to stop him..." he trailed off at Haruhi's outraged sniff._

_"How dare they," she spat, looking angrier than Tamaki had ever seen her. "How dare they spy on my father! This has gone too far! What kind of people are they anyway?"_

_Her anger piqued, Haruhi grew more and more frustrated as she paced the small space in front of the stage, not even noticing the nearing storm. "It's bad enough that they've forced me into this decision that I have to make," she continued. "And it's worse that they're encouraging this sick competition between you. But how dare they spy on my father! It's not his fault that they singled me out, but now he's being punished for it." _

_"Haruhi-chan," Chizuru's cool voice stopped the girl mid-rant. "You need to calm down and think about this logically," she now said, looking at Haruhi with a mixture of pity and annoyance. "I thought that was why you chose the name that you did. And why you decided to come here as a backup in the first place. You worked it out logically. Now you need to calm down and think logically about this new development." _

_Tamaki was worried but would not say anything until he figured out if Haruhi was angry with him as well. He knew well enough to stand back, but he wasn't about to leave until she told him what her plans were. He couldn't stand the thought that she would run away again._

_Haruhi stood for a moment, breathing heavily from her exertion, and trying to piece together what she'd just learned and how she wanted to deal with it. "Tamaki?" She wanted to get some things straight, and Chizuru was right about being logical._

_"Yes?" Tamaki's voice was uncertain. _

_"How much do you know about what your father and Ootori-san have been doing to ensure my father cooperates with them?" Haruhi's voice was tightly controlled, and though she felt positive Tamaki knew nothing of their schemes, she needed to be sure._

_Tamaki's mouth fell open as he loudly protested, "Father tells me nothing, Haruhi! He and Ootori-san have been scheming together on this secretly, but I think they're angry at one another after what they said on Tuesday..." _

"Excuse me for interrupting, my lady," the Haninozuka's chauffeur said as he hurriedly entered the room, "but I'm afraid I have some news."

Reiko stood up to face the man, looking worriedly at his pale complexion. "What's wrong?"

Looking nervously at the other ladies, who were now watching with concerned looks on their faces, the man quietly requested, "My lady, would you be willing to come over there for a moment?" He gestured meekly at the opposite corner of the room. Reiko nodded and followed the man.

She whispered urgently for him to explain what was happening. The quiet whispers that followed went unheard by the watching women. Haruhi wanted to go to her friend but remained still until they all saw her go frightfully pale. Haruhi and Renge began to walk over to her but got no further than a few paces before Reiko swayed and then fell into a dead faint, her chauffeur trying in vain to catch his falling mistress.

"Reiko!" Haruhi called as she and the rest of the women ran to her. Chizuru called out to a maid passing outside the room and requested help for her friend. Haruhi and Eclair each picked up an arm and half-dragged the pregnant woman to the couch where they laid the still unconscious woman. All the while, Haruhi wondered what could have caused such a reaction in her friend.

**A/N: Well, there you go... a cliffhanger to try to figure out. I know... you're probably wondering how long it will be before I'll update. I promise not to abandon the story and will do my best to get your next chapter out as soon as possible. **

**I wanted to make a note about the host club wives before we get into more of their backgrounds and who they are. Haruhi, Reiko, Renge, and Eclair were all a part of the manga, anime or both. Rin and Chizuru are my OCs that I've brought in to complete the club. If you don't know who Reiko is, she's from (I think) the 10th volume of the manga or something like that and is the Mistress of Maledictions in the Black Magic Club who falls for Hunny. Eclair, if you were wondering, is from the last two episodes of the manga and was not exactly the best of friends with Haruhi and the guys. **

**You'll have to be kept in the dark about the pairings for the most part until I work things out in the story enough to start introducing the pairings. I've already got all the guys paired up and the order of their marriages pinned down. You can have fun trying to figure out who's paired with whom because I can assure you I tried to pair the guys with the most interesting of the girls. I'm actually considering writing side stories for each of the pairings and posting them as separate stories on here because this story is shaping up to be quite a bit longer than I expected... let me know what you think about that idea. I promise I wouldn't post the side stories until after I've introduced all the pairings in here, but it would give you something else to read. **

**Thanks for sticking with me on this one, guys! I appreciate all the reviews I get and am so pleased that you're all enjoying the story so well. I do hope to continue to hear from you as I will definitely continue posting on this story, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm going to answer reviews after I post this chapter, but I might not answer all of them since I can't remember who I've already replied to... so don't be upset if I don't send you a reply! Thanks again!**

**Until next time...**

**-Rae-**


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